CHARLOTTE — For the first minute, all Monroe Freeling could think about was whether Taylor Moton was OK. The veteran Moton lay face down on the turf, punching the ground in frustration as teammates and trainers ran to him.

On the sideline, the rookie Freeling had a flash of memories, all the times this offseason Moton pushed to get back on the field after blood clots in the spring kept him sidelined until Week 6. He thought about all the times Moton offered insight and help so Freeling would feel comfortable taking over at right tackle, a position he hadn't played in years.

And he thought about all the times Moton had smiled over the last two weeks, just thrilled to be back on the field with his team.

"It's brutal. I mean, I've grown so much respect for TMo, just the way he approaches the game, and in a couple of weeks I got to see him actually prepare for a game and being ready to go," said Freeling.

"It's tough to see him, see that stripped away from him. He has so much passion for the game, and I'm almost just mourning for him right now, just how much it was awesome to see how happy he was. He was so happy to be out there playing, and I just feel for him; I'm praying for him."

A cart came out almost immediately, and Moton was helped to the back. Coach Dave Canales told reporters after the game that Moton would be "out for a while" with a broken fibula. Freeling, who started the first four games of the season at right tackle in place of Moton, was so caught up in worrying about his teammate that it took him a second to realize what it meant for him.

"I saw him go down and I was like, 'NO, TMo's down.' And then eventually I was like, 'Whoa, I'm going in,'" said Freeling. "So I had to be ready for that, ready to go, quickly just set my mind and went out there and played football."

Freeling finished the game at right tackle, and with Moton out for "an extended amount of time," according to Canales, he will presumably be slotting back into that spot for the foreseeable future.

Even having just two weeks of watching Moton prepare to start has been vital for the rookie Freeling.

"I mean, he's taking notes on any single thing and everything. No matter what it was, he's taking notes on it," shared Freeling. "I'll see him at lunch, we'll get out of practice, and we'll have like an hour, and I'll see him with his two iPads out taking notes on the rushers, and I was like, 'Hey TMo, I do a pass-rusher's report. You can count on me.'"

Rookie linemen are responsible for pass-rusher reports on upcoming opponents as a way to teach them how to watch film at the NFL level. The 10-year vet, Moton, though, has his own process. And that process will now change Freeling's.

"I think it's shown respect and knowing that, like, he's a pro's pro, so the way he prepares every single week is second to none, and seeing that now, actually seeing it in action, it's just different," said Freeling. "So I might change the way I come into these games, especially leading ahead and knowing the uncertainty of TMo."