How another Panthers mystery man stepped up with OL injuries in win vs. Packers
First, it was left guard Damien Lewis. Then, it was right guard Chandler Zavala.
The Carolina Panthers’ ever-evolving offensive line turnstile started spinning early Sunday at Lambeau Field against the Packers.
Lewis was forced to the medical tent during the first drive of the game before returning on the following series. Zavala, who had just returned from a four-week stint on the injured reserve list with a knee injury, was lost to an elbow injury shortly after Lewis jogged back to the trenches.
Journeyman Jake Curhan, who joined the team in Week 5, replaced both Week 9 starting guards during their injury absences. He spent a few snaps at left guard for Lewis before permanently replacing Zavala at right guard for the remainder of the game. The Panthers’ offense only allowed one coverage sack in the 16-13 road win over the Packers, and running back Rico Dowdle ripped through Green Bay’s run defense to the tune of 130 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Curhan, 27, was on the field for the bulk of those accomplishments.
“There were probably a couple of communication snafus when I first got in there, or throughout the game, that we would go on the sideline and talk about ... but we figured it out enough to get the win,” Curhan said. “But that stuff will only get better the more that I get to play with these guys.”
Curhan, who has appeared in 45 career games (11 starts), was signed off the Arizona Cardinals practice squad shortly before the 27-24 home win over the Miami Dolphins last month.
While he had a background with head coach Dave Canales and offensive coordinator Brad Idzik from the trio’s shared time together in Seattle from 2021 to 2022, Curhan hadn’t worked with offensive line coach Joe Gilbert or assistant head coach Harold Goodwin before his arrival in Charlotte. He did have a background with Lewis from their time with the Seahawks, but otherwise, he was new to a room that had already begun to fall apart due to injuries.
He played just 13 snaps on offense during the month of October. And yet, he looked like a familiar cog in the offensive line machine as Dowdle broke off for big chunks of yardage on the road in the team’s fifth win of the season.
“Jake and I were together in Seattle, so he’s got a lot of familiarity with our run game, our pass protection philosophy, and how we handle things,” Canales said. “He’s a very sharp guy, and he’s got a lot of versatility. I’ve seen him play all but center, really, I think in the time that I’ve been around him. So, to be able to pick him up from Arizona’s practice squad (in October) was huge for me because it gives us another veteran player that allows us to have the continuity for when things happen. And he did a great job going in there and executing with the guys.”
Every projected Week 1 starter on the offensive line has missed at least one game. The Panthers didn’t play starting right tackle Taylor Moton (knee) against the Packers, and replacement starting center Cade Mays (ankle) was ruled out heading into the weekend.
Sunday’s matchup featured the seventh starting offensive line combinations in nine games. And that group lasted roughly a handful of plays together before Curhan had to become a fixture between center Austin Corbett and fill-in right tackle Yosh Nijman.
“We keep finding ourselves in this situation,” Corbett said. “And it’s not an excuse, we have to go, and Jake did a phenomenal job.”
Curhan has bounced from Seattle to Chicago to Arizona to Carolina over the past four years. But after signing with Carolina just last month, and providing much-needed support against the Packers, he might have just found a home for the foreseeable future.
Following the win over the Packers, cramped in a crowded visiting locker room, Curhan smiled as he chatted with center Nick Samac, another recent arrival. Both linemen joined the team prior to the recent 4-1 surge, and both are being counted on to provide support for a position group that has eroded to its fifth right guard of the year, among other fill-in changes, through nine games.
“It’s a familiar offense for me, but it’s new O-line coaches, and every time you have that, it’s learning new techniques and different ways that they like stuff done,” Curhan said. “And I’m still learning that, but (I’ve) played a lot of football, so it’s just stepping in and really doing what you know how to do. And I think the coaches, and the guys who have been playing here for a couple of years, make it really easy to do that.”
While quarterback Bryce Young only attempted 20 passes on Sunday, he still managed to understand the weight of Curhan’s role in the offense’s success. It isn’t easy playing one offensive line position off the bench, but it’s a whole different story to play two positions in one game as a reserve and keep the momentum going.
“That is not easy at all,” Young said after the game. “One, it isn’t like (Curhan) has been here that long either. Someone who is coming in and trying to learn stuff, trying to get acclimated to the room and acclimated to the calls. Last week, he stepped up and this week, come in and play left (guard), come in and play right (guard), and play a great game again versus a great front. That can’t be talked about enough. I think that just really sums up the resilience of that room. I have so much respect for him, and I am super-grateful. That was awesome.”
Curhan admitted after the victory that he couldn’t remember playing two positions in a regular season game, even dating back to his college days at the University of California where he primarily played right tackle. But Young, Dowdle and the rest of the team benefited from his ability to come in Sunday and do whatever was asked of him in the biggest win to date for the Canales era.
He’s the latest mystery man to step up for the offensive line. And given the state of the group, there’s no question that Carolina will be utilizing Curhan in the weeks to come.
