A 2021 third-round pick, Christensen just wrapped his rookie contract. He spent 2024 time at left tackle and center and has an entire season’s worth of playing time at left guard. He is a replacement-level player on the whole, but that kind of versatility can be ... hard to replace. Christensen is old for a fifth-year pro, turning 29 in September.

Carolina’s offensive line was ravaged by injuries in the team’s Week 1 loss to the Falcons. Bryce Young was pressured on 46 percent of his drop backs against Atlanta — the fifth highest rate among QBs in Week 1. He was sacked twice. Young could be in for a long day against the Saints in Week 2.

Ditto for Carolina's other starting guard, Austin Corbett, who tore his ACL in the finale. Christensen broke his ankle in Week 18. This would seem to put a small damper on the chances of Carolina's best starting line being ready for Week 1, but there's still some time for both players to recover and their knees aren't going to be quite as taxed as they would be if they were playing a skill position. 

This comes after team OTAs and minicamp, where Christensen spent substantial time at left tackle despite the team drafting NC State OT Ikem Ekwonu with the No. 6 overall pick last April. There's a good chance that Ekwonu ultimately ends up as the team's starting left tackle, but it won't be surprising if Christensen finds a starting role somewhere along the offensive line. During his time at BYU Christensen was PFF's highest-graded lineman ever (95.9). He started every game at left tackle in his final season for the Cougars, but is versatile enough to play at right tackle or on the interior.