Yosh

Nijman

This is a great deal for the Panthers. Walker, a former seventh-round pick with the Packers, made just over $6 million on his rookie contract. This is a decent pay bump for him. Among NFL tackles with at least 490 left tackle snaps, Walker’s 69.3 PFF pass-blocking grade ranks 21st. The Panthers lost starter LT Ikem Ekwonu to a patellar tendon rupture during their Wild Card Round loss to the Rams last year. While Ekwonu is undoubtedly rehabbing the injury rigorously, he return date is still being determined. Panthers backup OT Yosh Nijman also retired earlier this week. Signing Walker gives them a reliable, if non-elite, starter in 2026.

Nijman entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Packers in 2019. He signed on with the Panthers in 2024. Nijman took his first regular season snaps in 2020 as backup left tackle. Over the course of his career, Nijman played more than 975 offensive snaps at both left and right tackle, playing primarily on the left with the Packers and primarily on the right with the Panthers.

Ekwonu underwent the procedure just over a week ago. Head coach Dave Canales called him “day to day” on Monday, though he appears to be on the wrong side of questionable to start the week. Yosh Nijman looks like Bryce Young’s starting left tackle for Carolina’s Week 1 matchup with the Jaguars. Fellow backup Brady Christensen is also an option for the Panthers.

As expected, Johnson and Dalton will miss the game against the Broncos with their injuries. The Panthers do get starting defensive end A’Shawn Robinson, outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney and Josey Jewell back to help the Carolina defense for the Week 8 tilt.

Moton Will now miss a second-straight game with his triceps injury, paving the way for Yosh Nijman to start in Week 7 if he can go. Nijman is also listed as questionable with a knee injury, as the Panthers are currently dealing with multiple injuries along the o-line.

The 6' 7" tackle started 22 of 67 games across four seasons with the Packers and brings needed depth to the exterior offensive line for the Panthers. The Packers have had significant turnover across their offensive line this offseason, making it likely we’ll see the franchise use multiple early picks in the 2024 NFL Draft on big men.

The Packers placed a second-round tender on Nijman earlier this offseason, all but ensuring he’d return to the team in 2023. That became permanent on Monday after the veteran offensive lineman signed his deal on Monday. Nijman has started 21 games for the Packers since 2021 and should be in line for more opportunities this season.

That means Nijman, a mountainous lineman who has started 21 games for Green Bay since the start of the 2021 regular season, will make $4.3 million in 2023. Nijman is entering his age-27 season.

Nijman was an exclusive rights free agent, so this was the only game in town. The 25-year-old contributed only 14 snaps on defense last season, though he was more active on special teams. A mountainous 6-foot-7, the Pack must still believe that Nijman is projectable.

Even if we inflate that pro day time to the 4.95-second range, it’d still be an elite time for an offensive tackle who weighs 324 pounds. Heading into testing, Nijman was considered a late-round prospect, but it’s time to move Nijman up big boards as long as his injury history doesn’t hold him back. In addition to his impressive straight-line speed, Nijman recorded a high-end 4.50-second short shuttle and 114-inch broad jump at the NFL Scouting Combine.