CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers left tackle Ikem Ekwonu attempted to have a good time at teammate Robert Hunt’s recent birthday party, but continued to feel discomfort. His stomach hurt constantly.
“Obviously, I wanted to go out and show love to my boy, Rob, for his birthday,” Ekownu said after Monday’s practice. “So, I went over there fighting through it a little bit and I really felt it. That’s probably one of the worst nights I’ve felt and so everything transpired after that.”
What transpired next was an emergency surgery to remove his appendix on Aug. 24. The fourth-year offensive lineman did not practice Monday and remained questionable for Sunday’s NFL season-opener at the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Coach Dave Canales labeled him as “day-to-day.”
“I’m following the plan set forth for me, so I’m not going to rule anything out,” Ekwonu said, adding his health was starting to improve. “Definitely feeling better every day,” he said. “The whole experience is a little wild, definitely unexpected. But you know, definitely fortunate that we caught it at the right time and we were able to get it out ASAP.”
If Ekwonu does not dress Sunday, Brady Christensen or Yosh Nijman are expected to get the starting assignment.
“It’s definitely been tough, obviously, like with the timing and stuff in the season, but I’m just going to try and stay as positive as I can,” Ekwonu said. “They were telling me you only get one appendix, so now that it’s out, it’s done. I never have to worry about it again.”
Hunter Renfrow Returns With Jalen Coker On IR
Veteran wide receiver Hunter Renfrow departed last Tuesday as part of the Panthers’ final cuts. The veteran wide receiver failed to beat out Jalen Coker during training camp, but the second-year professional sustained a quad injury during last Thursday’s practice.
The Panthers had Renfrow, who stood out for much of the offseason program, on speed dial. He had returned to his home in South Carolina to tend to the family golf cart business. It took a while before the sides connected.
“I had like 10 missed phone calls from Dan, Dave, my agent,” Renfrow said Monday. “They’re all just ignored. My daughter’s watching Bluey or something. So I got back in the car and had that conversation.”
After practicing with the Panthers on Monday for the first time since being cut, Renfrow rehashed his commitment to his craft.
“My dad instilled in me and my mom as well that when you commit to something, you’re committed to it,” Renfrow said. “You know it’s not something you take lightly.
“I think the team is an important role, whether it’s in business, whether it’s in football, whatever it is, it’s important. And so being able to make that commitment to people to say, right, I’m going to be here through the good, through the bad, through the long haul is important to me.”
Renfrow agreed to terms Saturday after Coker landed on Injured Reserve. He will miss at least the opening four weeks.
Carolina Panthers, Dave Canales Name Co-Captains
The Panthers announced Monday that quarterback Bryce Young, defensive end Derrick Brown and long snapper JJ Jansen will serve as co-captains for the 2025 campaign.
Canales also took a page from his coaching mentor, Pete Carroll, by having the coach name a rotating captain. The concept is a reward for players “who (are) playing the type of play style, showing the type of character we’re looking for, and we like to celebrate those guys and call them out front at the end of the week,” Canales said.
The Panthers coach will also celebrate a scout team player of the week. It will be “for somebody who we just see continuing to take steps and grow and develop and really treat every day like a championship moment,” Canales said.
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