Panthers right tackle Taylor Moton suffered a fractured fibula in Sunday’s 43-13 loss to the Buccaneers that will sideline him “for a while,” head coach Dave Canales said after the game (via Joe Person of The Athletic).
Moton, 32, had only just completed his recovery from blood clots that forced him to start the season on the non-football injury list. He missed Carolina’s first four games and made his 2026 debut last week against the Eagles. But just six quarters into his return, Moton went down clutching his left leg and had to be carted off the field. A fractured fibula will force him onto injured reserve, ensuring an absence of at least four games, and his season could very well be over.
Moton’s injury will bring No. 4 overall pick Monroe Freeling back into the Panthers’ starting lineup. He opened the year at right tackle and struggled mightily in his first three games, allowing 14 pressures and two sacks across 183 pass-blocking opportunities, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). But between Week 4 and his relief showing on Sunday, he surrendered just two pressures in 53 snaps. This could be a sign that the former Georgia left tackle is settling in on the right side, where he could start for the rest of the season.
Sunday marked the 130th start of Moton’s decade in the NFL that featured his ascendance from a 2017 second-round pick to one of the most consistent right tackles in the league. He appeared in every game as a backup during his rookie year before starting 104 consecutive games at right tackle. He missed three games in 2024 and one in 2025; now, he faces the longest absence of his career.
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