Panthers OT Taylor Moton details scary events that led to discovery of blood clots

On Tuesday, Carolina Panthers offensive tackle Taylor Moton broke down the team's huddle to cap off his first practice of the 2026 campaign. And in almost any another season, that probably wouldn't have been too big of a deal.

But it was this afternoon, as the 32-year-old returned to the field after spending the past handful of months recovering from blood clots. After the session, Moton spoke about the terrifying details that led to the discovery of the issue.

Moton, running back Trevor Etienne and defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton were all officially designated to return to practice earlier in the day. While their respective statuses for Sunday's matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles remain unclear, head coach Dave Canales seemed encouraged by what he saw.

"They all looked pretty good today," Canales told reporters . "We have to see how they respond to today's physical practice, and they all got a good, significant amount of reps. That was the plan.

"As you can imagine, there's a ramp-up, training part of it—getting their body right. They're in great shape. Football shape's different. This is a collision sport, not a contact sport. So, wanted to see how their bodies respond to a physical, padded practice before we make any decisions."

With Moton sidelined, the Panthers started 2026 first-round pick Monroe Freeling at right tackle for the first four games of the season. Freeling's outlook for Week 6 isn't exactly certain either, as the rookie has been dealing with a knee injury coming off the win over the Detroit Lions.

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