After being forced to miss the first week of the NFL season due to an emergency appendectomy, Ekwonu now stares at his now confirmed season debut against the Arizona Cardinals.

There was a lot of chatter around Carolina media about what Ekwonu’s status was going to be, and when he finally approached the locker room for the first time since the operation, he was hounded with questions. 

On three separate occasions, Ekwonu had to express to the media that he’s “stacking good days,” to the point where he started laughing.

He was limited on Wednesday’s practice to ease back into the game, but coach Dave Canales was encouraged with what he saw.

"He had a great day today. We got him all the way through (individual drills), got into some team drills, he was limited. We didn't feel like we could throw him out there for full practice quite yet, but he looked great, he looked strong, he was asking for more.”

It’s a massive sign for the Panthers who are looking to bounce back from a disappointing Week 1 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. After getting glimpses of what could be last season, it felt like Carolina took two steps backwards in Week 1.

Carolina allowed 16 pressures against Jacksonville’s defensive line, which was the sixth most, and the Jaguars had a 40% pressure rate.

In Ekwonu’s place, Yosh Nijman stepped in and did as well as he could. But clearly, it wasn’t enough. He posted a PFF grade of 56.8, and a nightmarish 38.4 passing grade. To add, he also allowed six pressures for a quarterback like Bryce Young who has spent his professional career running away from linemen.

With him returning on Sunday, Ekonwu is tasked with stopping Pro Bowl defensive end Josh Sweat, who is fresh off an eight sack season.

It’ll be a big test for the fourth year tackle, who has consistently aimed to improve his game. He will be thrown into the fire though, as Sweat is still in the prime of his career. But situations like this are why the Panthers drafted Ekwonu sixth overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Left tackle is one of, if not, the most important position in all of football. They’re the quarterback’s blindside protector, and someone who needs to be in peak physical shape, while also having the girth and strength to stop an athletic 260 pound behemoth trying to get past.

It may be a tricky way to throw someone in after an appendectomy, but it had to happen one way or another. Ekwonu needs to be the guy that Carolina envisioned him to be, otherwise it’ll be even more disappointment.