2026 Season Opener Countdown: 22 Days Remaining

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 10: Taylor Moton #72 of the Carolina Panthers runs onto the field prior to an NFL wild card playoff football game against the Los Angeles Rams at Bank of America Stadium on January 10, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Here at Cat Scratch Reader we have counted down the final 100 days leading up to the Carolina Panthers season opener by for at least the past ten years. We've always done this by highlighting the current player on the roster whose jersey number matches the day on the countdown. This year, we decided to change that up a bit by counting down our own list of the Top 100 Panthers of all time. This does not correspond to jersey number, does not need to be somebody who wore a jersey, and will in no way be controversial.

#22. Taylor Moton

At the moment, it looks like the Carolina Panthers are going to start the season without the services of Taylor Moton. It's not a familiar spot for the Panthers to be. Moton has been one of the most reliable offensive linemen in the entire league, much less the Panthers, and he's been doing it for a long time.

The Panthers drafted Moton at the back end of the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He spent his entire rookie season as a reserve, playing sparingly on special teams and in spot duty as an extra tackle. He earned the starting nod at right tackle going into his second season, and he has yet to relinquish that spot. He played 6,787 consecutive snaps at right tackle across six-plus seasons. He finally missed his first snaps in the fifth game of the 2024 season after playing every snap of the six previous seasons. He would miss three games in 2024 and one in 2025. Other than that, he's never come off the field when the offense is on it.

Moton's got more to his game than durability though. He's been a very good if unheralded right tackle throughout his time in Carolina. He's never earned any postseason accolades, but he's always been a comfortably above average tackle. With how much any offensive line is ravaged by injury and roster turnover from year to year, having the ever reliable Moton at right tackle has provided some much needed security.

Moton is currently on the non-football injury/illness list as he recovers from a blood clot in his lungs. That's a scary prognosis, but Moton seems to be doing well and is expected to be back during the season. We obviously wish him a speedy recovery both for his own personal wellbeing and his ability to help the Panthers. His spot as a constant on the right side of the offensive line and the quality of play he's brought to that spot has earned him spot number 22 on the list of the top 100 Panthers of all time.