It is safe to say that the Las Vegas Raiders aren't going to receive any compensatory picks in the 2027 NFL Draft. After spending an unbelievable amount in free agency and losing, well, nobody of note, the roster is much stronger, and that's better than having a few mid-to-late round picks.
Unsurprisingly, after what the Silver and Black put on display in 2025, not many of their free agents have even been signed. Alex Cappa, who was always a contentious player, is facing his NFL mortality, and 11 other veterans who ended the year with Las Vegas haven't found another home.
Against all odds, Stone Forsythe actually landed on his feet with the Carolina Panthers. He was an obvious cut candidate, though, as the Panthers returned their stellar offensive tackle duo and added both Rasheed Walker in free agency and Monroe Freeling in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft.
However, Carolina is now just one snap away from living the nightmare that Las Vegas did a season ago.
Panthers' scary injury situation means former Raiders OT Stone Forsythe is on the cusp of relevancy again
Starting Panthers left tackle Ikem Ekwonu ruptured his patellar tendon during their playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams, hence the investment in three tackles this offseason. But on Tuesday, they were dealt a much scarier and more sinister blow.
NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe reported that Carolina's starting right tackle, Taylor Moton, is receiving treatment for blood clots and will be on the non-football injury list as training camp begins. He will miss the start of the season, but the hope is that he'll return at some point in 2026.
That is obviously a scary situation for Moton personally and for those close to him, and we want to recognize that before getting back to football. For Carolina, they are now down both starting tackles and will have to rely on a rookie in Freeling and a somewhat discarded vet in Walker to hold it down.
After initially looking like a roster afterthought for the Panthers, Forsythe now finds himself as the next tackle up in the pecking order in Carolina. If they sustain another injury or things get dire, they'll have to turn to Forsythe. Raider Nation knows exactly how that will go.
Pete Carroll brought Forsythe to Las Vegas a season ago, and he was Kolton Miller's replacement after the Raiders' longtime starting left tackle went down with an injury in Week 4. For the remaining games in the 2025 campaign, Forsythe resembled a turnstile or a traffic cone.
Despite not playing the first four weeks, Forsythe led the NFL in sacks allowed (11) and was tied for 15th in total pressures (41). He was also a below-average run-blocker, so Forsythe managed to drag down a league-worst offensive line in Las Vegas even more. It was a particularly bad year for him.
It is no surprise that he got another chance from Panthers head coach Dave Canales, a former Carroll protégé who was in the Seattle Seahawks' building with Forsythe for two years in 2021 and 2022. But if Canales and Co. watched Forsythe at all last year, then they should know they're close to disaster.
At a certain point, one has to think that Carolina's bad injury luck in the offensive tackle department would subside. But when it rains, it pours in the NFL, and now Forsythe is just one freak play or ailment away from being a starter for the Panthers. Raiders fans know how this story ends.
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