Tag: Taylor Moton

Panthers RT Taylor Moton named one of NFL’s top 11 offensive tackles

It’s taken a few years too long, but Taylor Moton’s game is finally starting to get the respect it deserves.

It’s taken a few years too long, but Taylor Moton’s game is finally starting to get the respect it deserves. The Panthers’ right tackle has generally flown under the radar despite blocking at a high level for both the pass and the run for three consecutive seasons since he became a full-time starter. Moton’s name is beginning to carry more weight, though.

The latest evidence we have of his rise is a new ranking of the top 11 offensive tackles in the NFL by Touchdown Wire. Moton came in at No. 8 on the list.

“Last season was his best, though, both in metrics and on film. While he did allow three sacks, he gave up no quarterback hits and 16 quarterback hurries in 657 pass-blocking reps. . . The Panthers have a lot of questions along their offensive line right now, but Moton isn’t one, as the team placed the franchise tag on the veteran, guaranteeing him $13,754 million for the 2021 season. A long-term extension should be high on the Panthers’ priority list.”

Most of the fault for not extending Moton has to fall on former general manager Marty Hurney’s shoulders. However, every week Moton plays without a long-term contract in place his pricetag will grow – and it’s already substantial. Lane Johnson’s mega-deal with the Eagles is an outlier, but high-end right tackles on average are earning around $10-$15 million per year on their contracts.

The Panthers have until July 15 to work out a deal with Moton or he’ll play out the 2021 season under the franchise tag.

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Panthers Highlights: Taylor Moton’s brilliant backside run blocking compilation

Watch this compilation of beautiful backside run blocks by Moton, courtesy of Brandon Thorn.

Offensive linemen have a thankless job. With the exception of a few superstar left tackles, few get any attention for the work they do in the trenches protecting their quarterbacks and setting up running lanes.

The Panthers have one of the NFL’s best (and certainly most underrated) OL in right tackle Taylor Moton, who can do both. Watch this compilation of beautiful backside run blocks by Moton, courtesy of Brandon Thorn.

Unless Moton signs a new contract before July 15, he’ll play the 2021 season under the franchise tag, costing the team $13,754,000. Moton is worth it, but obviously an extension is preferable.

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Panthers RT Taylor Moton takes practice reps at left tackle due to injuries

This year, it’s unclear who will take Okung’s place as LT1.

The Carolina Panthers burned through half a dozen left tackles last season due to injuries, most notably their starter Russell Okung, who missed nine games. That opened up opportunities for Dennis Daley, Trent Scott, Greg Little, Michael Schofield and your second cousin Jim, who all got reps on the blindside but were unable to stick.

This year, it’s unclear who will take Okung’s place as LT1. That point was underscored during Wednesday’s OTA practice, which saw the team’s criminally underrated right tackle Taylor Moton taking reps at left tackle. It doesn’t sound like it’s going to be a full-time move, though. Trent Scott and Cameron Erving were both out with undisclosed injuries and head coach Matt Rhule seems to think Moton’s experience on the right side is important, per the Athletic.

“He’s just got so much time put in there (at right tackle). So to go over, people could do it,” Rhule said. “But he just doesn’t have much time over there. . . But it’s something where we’re just giving him some reps. Just like the right guard sometimes plays left guard. Taylor’s a great guy, and he always wants to challenge himself and try new things, so that’s good.”

Odds are Moton would be better than any of the other left tackles on the roster, but that transition is not necessarily an easy one and doing so would just open up another hole at right tackle.

Hopefully third-round pick Brady Christensen’s size won’t be an issue and he’ll eventually take over at Okung’s former spot. He played left tackle during his time at BYU and only allowed three sacks.

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Carolina Panthers: 90-man roster to begin the 2021 offseason

With OTAs on the horizon, here is what the team’s current 90-man roster looks like.

The Carolina Panthers are now entering their second year of the Matt Rhule era and the first under Scott Fitterer, and their chessboard is continuing to take shape. So, who are all the pieces?

With OTAs on the horizon, here is what the team’s current 90-man roster looks like.

Taylor Moton, Jeremy Chinn lead Panthers in performance-based bonuses for 2020

Here is a look at how every Carolina player made out, per Mike Garafolo at NFL Network.

Panthers right tackle Taylor Moton recently signed his franchise tag, locking him in at $13.754 million in salary for the 2021 season unless he signs a new contract extension before the deadline in mid-July. Moton will be picking up another half-million or so in performance-based pay for the 2020 season. He leads the team at $469,785 this year, followed by rookie defensive back Jeremy Chinn, who earned $438,928.

Here is a look at how every Carolina player made out, per Mike Garafolo at NFL Network.

 

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Panthers OL Cameron Erving feels ‘most comfortable’ at left tackle

For what it’s worth, Carolina’s new OL Cameron Erving says he feels most comfortable playing that spot.

After the Panthers re-signed right guard John Miller yesterday, four of five offensive line spots have projected starters ready to go for the 2021 season. The last piece to the puzzle is also the most important one: filling the long-standing hole at the left tackle position.

For what it’s worth, Carolina’s new OL Cameron Erving says he feels most comfortable playing that spot.

Erving started five games on the blindside for the Cowboys last year after Tyron Smith suffered a season-ending neck injury. He didn’t exactly set Dallas on fire – Erving earned a 58.0 overall grade from Pro Football Focus for the season and they have him ranked dead last among OL with at least 1,500 offensive snaps since 2018. Not exactly starting left tackle material.

The Panthers also have Greg Little and Dennis Daley under contract, who both have experience at the position. As for last year’s starter, Russell Okung is now a free agent and one of the best options on the market now that LT1 Trent Williams has re-upped with the 49ers.

Re-signing Okung is worth considering if it means they don’t have to ponder starting Erving. That said, picking a top left tackle prospect early in the draft is probably the best way to go.

As for who they will be protecting, nothing has changed as of today. Erving says his understanding is Teddy Bridgewater is the starter.

For now.

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7 takeaways from Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule’s Wednesday press conference

Here are a few takeaways from his remarks.

Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule hasn’t spoken with the media for a while in accordance with one of the calendar year’s dead periods for NFL news. Things are picking up again ahead of the beginning of free agency next week, though. Rhule spoke with reporters today via Zoom and dropped some major news items and a few interesting comments.

Here are a few takeaways from his remarks.

How much salary cap space do the Panthers have after franchise-tagging Taylor Moton?

The Carolina Panthers used the franchise tag yesterday for the first time in several years.

The Carolina Panthers used the franchise tag yesterday for the first time in several years, applying it to Taylor Moton.

Moton has had a sensational run as their starting right tackle for the last three seasons and was the most critical pending free agent for them to retain this year. If Moton does not agree to a long-term contract extension before July 15, he will play for the Panthers next season under the franchise tag. For offensive linemen in 2021, that will cost roughly $13.75 million. Where does that leave Carolina as far as available cap space?

The NFL has set the salary cap at $182.5 million, down some 7.9% from last year due to the pandemic. So, after tagging Moton, the Panthers should have around $18.44 million left over, according to Over the Cap.

That’s not a lot of money to play with and most of it will likely be used to retain other pending free agents. Wide receiver Curtis Samuel and left tackle Russell Okung should be at the top of that list.

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Analysis: Panthers make obvious move with Taylor Moton franchise tag

Taylor Moton isn’t going anywhere.

Taylor Moton isn’t going anywhere. According to a report by Adam Schefter at ESPN, the Carolina Panthers will use their 2021 franchise tag on their stud right tackle.

Making sure that Moton did not sign with another team is one of the most critical moves that general manager Scott Fitterer will make in his first offseason with the franchise. Moton has played his position at a very high level the last three years and few tackles in the league can match his consistency in pass protection.

According to Pro Football Focus, Moton has only allowed 10 career sacks in over 2,000 pass sets.

That’s a rare talent in pass protection. Allowing Moton to walk would have qualified as a disaster for a team that’s also got three other pending free agent starters along the offensive line.

Signing Moton to a long-term deal is still in the team’s best interest. Doing so would allow them to spread out his cap hits and free up more room for 2021. They have until July 15 to work out a deal. If not, Moton will cost the team around $13.6 million this year under the tag.

Next, Fitterer has to find a way to keep another critical pending free agent. If the Panthers can manage to re-sign WR/RB Curtis Samuel before the new league year, then we’ll be truly impressed.

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Panthers to franchise tag OT Taylor Moton

Carolina Panthers use franchise tag on offensive lineman Taylor Moton.

The Carolina Panthers will be using the franchise tag on offensive tackle Taylor Moton. That news come via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday as the deadline to use the tag on players, league-wide, was set to pass at 4 p.m.

The tag will now give the Panthers and Moton more time to agree on a long-term extension. At minimal, Moton is locked up for the 2021 season under a salary cap figure of somewhere between $13.5-14 million, per Schefter.

Per Spotrac, prior to Moton being tagged, the Panthers would have $37.2M in salary cap space this offseason assuming the 2021 cap is $185M. Due to COVID-19 keeping fans out of stadiums last season, the cap number is going to fall from last year’s number of $198.2M. The league has yet to set the official cap number.

In 2020, Pro Football Focus graded Moton an 81.2 overall mark. That was good for the 13th best tackle in the NFL last season, according to the football analytics outlet.

The 26-year-old was a second-round pick of the Panthers in 2017. In four seasons, Moton has not missed a single game in his career to date, including the past three years, where he made 48-straight starts.

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