Dave Canales Won't Reveal Plans for Carolina Panthers' Rookie

The Carolina Panthers sit on top of the NFC South with a 3-2 record after Week 6 and beating the Philadelphia Eagles.  Carolina is now on a two-game win streak, beating the Detroit Lions in Week 4 before their bye week. 

Carolina's offense has been fantastic through the first five games as quarterback Bryce Young has taken a step forward in his game. They have an offense that can be among the best in the NFC if they can sustain it for the rest of the year. With weapons like Jalen Coker and Tetairoa McMillan, plus running back Chuba Hubbard, things are looking up for that side of the ball. 

While injuries have taken a toll on the offensive line, they did get a big boost this week.

Right tackle Taylor Moton appeared in his first game this season after missing time in training camp due to an injury. Moton looked like his normal self in his return and on the other side, free-agent pickup Rasheed Walker was really damn good too. Carolina now has two veteran options at the position and that's not even mentioning Ikem Ekwonu who is still recovering from an injury he suffered last year. 

But what does this mean for rookie Monroe Freeling? Well, he could be the odd man out in terms of key playing time early in his career. 

Freeling started at right tackle for the Panthers to open the season, and while he wasn't awful by any means, he did have his rookie struggles. Freeling was a first-round pick and you hope that a guy like that can contribute. But it might be better off having him sit and develop.

Following the win over the Eagles, Canales discussed Freeling's situation and mentioned how important he is to the team. He did mention that Freeling's injury could hold him back some and that Carolina will go with the healthiest players on the line. 

While he wouldn't commit to anything in terms of position, Canales did say that that Moton looked like his normal self and Walker was impressive. 

Still, the importance of Freeling being a first-round pick is key.

"This is a first-round pick for us. This is a high-value player for us. We're gonna do what's best for the Panthers—and we're gonna put the best group, healthiest group out there. So that's a good challenge to Monroe—to see how he responds to the training, the treatment and to see if he shows us how ready he is to play and how we play him."

The first order of business for Freeling is to get healthy. Once he can do that and get back on the field, then the Panthers will see what spot best fits him moving forward. 

The Panthers line could be the key to success the rest of the season, so it's important that Canales and the staff get it right.