Monroe Freeling

No. 57 · Rookie

The two tackles ahead of him are gone. Now it's Freeling's job.

Carolina Panthers head coach and front office chose Monroe Freeling in the first round — the kind of selection that comes with a timeline. Usually that timeline is slow: a year to learn, maybe another to earn a real role. The Panthers just found out their timeline is now.

Freeling plays right tackle, the position responsible for protecting a quarterback's blind side from the opposite direction — one of the more unforgiving jobs on the field for a young player. He was picked in the first round because the belief was there from day one. The question was always when, not if.

The answer turns out to be Week 1. The Panthers will open the 2025 season without either of the offensive tackles who started for them last year. That is not a small thing. General Manager Dan Morgan stood at a press conference Wednesday and said, in so many words, that he believes Freeling is ready.

Morgan's confidence is now on record. So is the opening. Whether Freeling was ready for this moment on his own schedule is beside the point — the moment arrived early, and he is in it.

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