JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Panthers were careful to create a plan to maintain offensive line depth, and they're rolling it out Sunday in the opener.
Left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, who is two weeks removed from an emergency appendectomy, is inactive for today's regular-season opener.
Ekwonu practiced on a limited basis on Friday, but that was his first action since the procedure.
Veteran tackle Yosh Nijman is expected to start in his place. Nijman has 25 career starts, including three for the Panthers last season. The rest of the line is intact, as guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis are active. They were on the injury report this week after being limited in practice, but they had no status on the final injury report for the week.
The rest of the inactive for Sunday's game against the Jaguars are wide receivers Jimmy Horn Jr. and Dalevon Campbell, tight end James Mitchell, and defensive tackle Cam Jackson.
That means that the Panthers will go with five active receivers today, with starters Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette, and Hunter Renfrow, along with David Moore and Brycen Tremayne.
PANTHERS INACTIVES
WR Jimmy Horn Jr.
LT Ikem Ekwonu
WR Dalevon Campbell
TE James Mitchell
DT Cam Jackson
JAGUARS INACTIVES
DE Danny Striggow
DE B.J. Green Jr.
DT Maason Smith
OL Cole Van Lanen
OL Wyatt Milum
CB Montaric Brown
Check out photos of the Panthers taking the field ahead of their Week 1 opener in Jacksonville.
