Last post I ended with whether the team needed better fits for the OL. Carolina's 2022 power/man scheme left what felt like a great basis for 2023, which immediately regressed and immediately had injury issues. But there's a lot of difference between pulling a guard and playing mostly outside zone. You need huge OL for 2022, and light guys that can move/reach for 2023. 2024 seems, on paper, an extension of '23. So - what's here and what needs to not be here?
LT - Ikem Ekwonu I'm not a piece of the group demanding Ekwonu move to G. I think you gotta give him year 3 to do better. He's an exceptional run blocker, and what you have to figure out is, can he be a good pass blocker? I believe forcing him to block longer is a part of the problem and Dave Canales wants to scheme around that (not specifically for Ekwonu, this is a piece from early in his Bucs days: there are some falsehoods there (Tampa absolutely did not run the ball a lot) but getting the ball out fast sounds plenty good to me (I'm also certain 2023 wanted that too). But that's not the question - it's "is Ekwonu a good fit for outside zone?" And, yes. Good foot quickness, good reach ability, agile in space. This is a fit. He probably would be at G, too. For what it's worth, I don't intend to go into every guy's ability to fit in pass pro but Ekwonu's problems at OT don't make him a great guard, either. If he's leaning on guys or slow to react to a 2nd move, that will get worse at G, not better. But he'll have more reach there, at least, and less space for a DT to move, so I get it.
LG - Brady Christensen - I think the fit is there, possibly more than in 2022's scheme of man-based power running. Christensen has good foot speed, might be the lightest lineman Carolina would nominally start, can reach, and even if needed, can Swing LG/RG - Chandler Zavala - Incomplete. Zavala's the biggest piece that has only 2023 data, so it's hard to really say. Scouting reports call his athleticism and feet are good, good reach/2nd level, but that his feet can be ahead of his frame - much like with Ekwonu at times. His hands need work. He'll be around either way, but
C - Bradley Bozeman - Carolina and the Bozemans have really taken to each other. But BB really did not have a good year. He seems mostly a head up blocker, not a reach guy, not an athletic guy. RG - Austin Corbett is here, but it's a second straight year of coming into the year with injury. He came out of the Rams' scheme that made him an ideal fit last year, too. That saved no one. If he's back, the right side is fine. But that's a big ask. RT - Taylor Moton will handle anything you hand him. Full stop.
Backups - Zavala excluded, it's hard to see a lot of value to any backup. Rookie Ricky Lee did not actively play despite the team having some needs - but he's a tackle, and the tackles didn't miss time. There's no backup C. There's minimal backup for anywhere. Is Cade Mays a fit for any of this? Don't think so. Maybe as a C, there's some room but he's not terribly athletic. Nash Jensen, hard to say, but first guess is also no. He's a relatively inflexible middle of the body 328 lb brick. Gabe Jackson was on a couch, if they bring him back fine but that tends to feel unlikely. But at this stage, his heft is also his calling card. Bozeman as a possible casualty after one year - $4.15 million salary, guaranteed along with a $1.5 million roster bonus - so unless there's a restructure, he's not a terribly poorly paid $6 million this year with a bigger 'out' next year. That gives you time to groom a center this year if you want. Again there's room to be unsure if Dave Canales is going to be dying for the outside zone, inside zone series of light, athletic linemen If he is, the glaring issues are C and whether the RG is healthy. And if not, whether Chandler Zavala can be a good fill-in RG. If you take all of that on, you then have to have any depth. It's not easy. Then you extrapolate all of that out and wonder whether Canales wants to run it enough to matter. If you're only worried about pass pro, then Bozeman remains a sore spot, and depth remains an issue.
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