© Bob Donnan-USA TODAY SportsCarolina Panthers offensive tackle Taylor Moton (72) before the game at Bank of America Stadium.
The Panthers will use the franchise tag on tackle Taylor Moton, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. This was the expected move, though a long-term deal remains possible.
Moton, a 2017 second-round pick, has started 48 straight games at right tackle. The Panthers weren't about to let him walk. Instead, they'll tag him for the coming year for a yet-to-be-determined amount. In all likelihood, it'll put him at around $15M.
Pro Football Focus has graded Moton as a top-20 tackle in each of the past three years. He came in as a top-five right tackle in 2020, providing all the more reason for the Panthers to retain him. Now, the two sides will have until mid-July to hammer out a multi-year deal.
As a reminder: Offensive linemen are grouped together under the franchise tag formula, meaning that tagged guards often outperform their market. Tags for interior linemen are becoming more and more common, however - Brandon Scherff, for example, just scored his second straight.
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