Carolina Panthers bolster offensive line depth, bring back familiar NFL veteran
The Carolina Panthers are bringing back a familiar face to help fortify their offensive line depth chart.
The team re-signed veteran lineman Brady Christensen on Friday, a league source told The Charlotte Observer. The one-year pact will allow Christensen, a 2021 third-round pick, to return to Carolina for his sixth NFL season.
Christensen was cleared for contact by doctors earlier this month following Achilles surgery, as The Charlotte Observer first reported on July 7. The free agent had been working out locally in Pineville at Velocity Sports Performance while continuing his rehabilitation in Charlotte.
“I’ve kept in contact with the Panthers,” Christensen said earlier this summer. “They’ve been amazing throughout my whole career, this process. Yeah, so we’re still in contact. Excited to see where that goes.”
From rehab to return: How Christensen got back to Mint Street
Christensen’s rehabilitation was daunting, but according to his trainer, Jed Hartigan, the lineman’s turnaround was significantly ahead of schedule.
“His right calf, which is … the one we’ve been working on, that’s actually around 4% stronger (based on 347 pounds of force on a single-calf raise) than the left calf (335 pounds of force) at this point,” Harting told The Charlotte Observer earlier this month. “So, that’s a good thing — that’s unheard of at the 7-month mark, but he did that.”
Christensen took a patient approach to free agency. He wanted to wait until he was cleared to engage with teams beyond general inquiries. The longtime Panthers lineman said he had been in contact with a handful of teams since March.
The 29-year-old veteran has played at all five offensive line positions during his Panthers career. He can back up every position, and he has played multiple positions in several games. In a way, he allows the Panthers some flexibility with their game-day roster because he is so versatile.
“I pride myself on being a team-first player, and I feel like I’ve been that with the Panthers for the past five years,” Christensen said. “If the center goes down, but I’m playing tackle, I’ll go play center. And if the guard goes down, and I’m playing center, I’ll go to guard.”
How Christensen can help the Panthers’ offensive line
The Panthers entered the week with Chandler Zavala, Ja’Tyre Carter and Saahdiq Charles as their top three backup guard options behind Damien Lewis and Rob Hunt. Stone Forsythe is likely to handle backup right tackle duties behind Taylor Moton while first-round pick Monroe Freeling and free-agent addition Rasheed Walker battle for the top left tackle spot. Veteran Luke Fortner will battle 2025 holdover Nick Samac and fifth-round pick Sam Hecht for the center job.
Christensen is likely to factor into the guard competition. He had arguably the best stretch of his career last year at right guard while filling in for Hunt. Christensen has started multiple games at both guard spots and was the starting left guard in 2022 and 2023.
Christensen’s ability to play tackle and center could also help the front office ahead of the cut deadline in August. If Freeling were to win the left tackle job for Week 1, the Panthers could consider trading Walker to a tackle-needy team with Christensen available for depth behind the rookie. If Fortner and/or Hecht had lukewarm results in training camp or the preseason, Christensen could be added to the center battle to push those combatants and potential be used as insurance in case they falter.
Regardless of how the Panthers use Christensen this summer, his versatility, experience and overall understanding of the offense should make him an asset if he can remain healthy on his surgically repaired right leg.
