Number on the Roster: 7

Probable Starters: Travelle Wharton, Toniu Fonoti

The major focal point of the Panthers this offseason was the offensive line. Due to a poor running game in 2007, combined with a desire to get back to the football that lead them to the Superbowl in 2003, Head Coach John Fox and General Manager Marty Hurney decided to overhaul the offensive line. This overhaul began with the release of guard Mike Whale and center Justin Hartwig in a move to get larger on the offensive side of the ball, and they certainly did.

It wasn’t certain exactly what the line was going to look like until after the draft and free agent pickups, but by May, it became clear where Carolina was going on the offensive line. By selecting tackle Jeff Otah, Carolina showed that they planned to move Jordan Gross to the left side of the OL in order to make way for Otah (you can see my analysis on the OTs in our Position Analysis Categories). This move meant that last year’s starting left tackle Travelle Wharton is going to move inside and play left guard. Right now, with Wharton and Gross. the left side of the Panthers line looks very solid in both protecting Jake Delhomme’s blind side, and clearing a path for Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams.

While the left guard slot appears to be locked up, the right guard position is wide open for completion. and is where all three of the Panthers free agent guard pickups are likely to compete. Out of the three guards signed- Milford Brown, Keydrick Vincent, and Toniu Fonoti- all three of them are above 325 pounds, clearly showing that Carolina fulfilled their goal of getting bigger on the OL.

These three will compete with Evan Mathis and Geoff Hangartner for the starting job, and though Vincent is ahead of Fonoti on the depth chart, I think Fonoti will be able to beat out the competition. Fonoti has had some considerable weight problems, and at one point was rumored to be one of the heaviest football players of all time, getting up around 390, which caused him to be traded to the Vikings from the Chargers in 2005. Fonoti played extremely well as a rookie for San Diego and looked poised to have a promising career, but he kept struggling to maintain his weight and was eventually traded to the Vikings, and then Atlanta, where he was buried on the depth chart. Now Fonoti seems to be resurrecting his career. There are reports from players that Fonoti has been working very hard to get his weight under control and is looking very lean and fit. If this is true I think Fonoti will be able to start, and perhaps, get back to the level he was at as a rookie. With the resurrected Fonoti on the right side, he and Otah should open up big holes for Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams, contributing greatly to Carolina’s run game next season. Fonoti has the potential to be a very big pickup in Carolina, but we will have to wait until training camp to see which one of Carolina’s guards will step up and take the reigns.

Overall Position Grade: B-

Tags: guard, panthers, Position Analysis, roster