Why Panthers’ Christensen is embracing another clean slate as he enters contract year
Brady Christensen played all 77 offensive snaps in the Carolina Panthers’ season-opening loss to the Atlanta Falcons in September. He wouldn’t add to that total in 2023, though, as a torn right bicep and subsequent surgery to fix the injury shut him down for the season in Week 2.
Christensen’s season-ending injury sparked a dramatic turnstile at left guard. The Panthers started six different players at left guard this season, all while starting seven different players at right guard.
The Panthers’ offense struggled mightily with both guard spots in flux. Former head coach Frank Reich was fired after a 1-10 start, and the Carolina finished with a league-worst 2-15 record.
Christensen, 27, had to watch most of the chaos away from the field. But as the losses, injuries and departures mounted, Christensen gained a heightened appreciation for his teammates and his future.
“I think, one, I’m amazed at the players in here,” Christensen told The Observer. “The way they kept battling through it all. I mean there was not one day where they didn’t come in and give their effort and work hard. So that was the first perspective I gained.
“The second: I’ll never take for granted this game again. I’ve been, knock on wood, relatively healthy through my whole career, and this season was taken away from me because of a little bicep (tear) — I’ll never take for granted this game and enjoy every minute, wins, losses, everything — I’ll enjoy it. And that’s something — not that I didn’t enjoy it before — but I’ll have that extra enjoyment going forward.”
Christensen, a 2021 third-round pick, is entering the final year of his rookie contract. The BYU alum was drafted by former head coach Matt Rhule, who was fired in late 2022, and former general manager Scott Fitterer, who was fired before the players cleaned out their lockers last week.
Christensen’s three years in Carolina have come with ever-changing dynamics. He has worked under four different head coaches (including two interim head coaches) and played multiple positions. The constant moving and shaking has forced Christensen to become adaptable.
So, with a new head coach and new GM coming to town in the near future, the lineman is prepared for another new beginning. He’s also looking forward to the competition it will create in the trenches.
“A thousand percent,” Christensen said. “Any time you have a new head coach or whatever, you have the right to go earn a position and fight for a position. So, it’s a clean slate for everyone. You’ve got to go fight for your position. And so that’s really good for competition and really good for motivation because, obviously, this industry, it’s not a given for anyone. It’s going to be good for all of us.”
Christensen plans to stay in Charlotte throughout the offseason as he awaits the news that comes out of team’s leadership searches.
Last year, Christensen was forced to rehab a broken ankle during the early months of the Reich era. This time around, despite missing the majority of this past season, he will be ready to go whenever the new top man takes charge.
“I’m basically cleared, so it’s just about getting the strength there, working on the finer details of my game,” Christensen said. “I’m actually really excited for this offseason because last offseason I was just rehabbing. So, this one I can attack more and work on my game more, so that’ll be good.”
