Panthers OT Ikem Ekwonu tears patellar tendon, faces surgery

Carolina Panthers offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu tore his right patellar tendon in Saturday's NFC wild-card loss to the Los Angeles Rams and will undergo surgery, head coach Dave Canales said Sunday.

His outlook for the start of the 2026 season wasn't clear immediately.

Ekwonu, 25, played just eight snaps before the knee injury on Saturday.

"We'll give you more of an update," Canales said after the game. "They've got to do all the MRIs and all that stuff, but I think it's a significant injury...