NFL insider shares scoop on Panthers' plans with kicker Eddy Pineiro

Joe Person at the Athletic shares what he's hearing about Carolina's kicker situation.

ATLANTA, GA JANUARY 05: Carolina place kicker Eddy Pineiro (4) warms up prior to the start of the NFL game between the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons on January 5th, 2025 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. | (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Last week the Carolina Panthers signed kicker Matthew Wright to a reserve/future contract. Generally players who sign those deals end up on the practice squad the following season. However, in Wright's case there may be a path for him to wind up on the 53-man roster sooner rather than later.

That's because the team's current starting kicker Eddy Pineiro will become an unrestricted free agent one month today, and it sounds like the Panthers are willing to let him walk. Here's what The Athletic's Carolina Panthers beat reporter Joe Person shared about Pineiro's situation as the new league year approaches.

The Athletic on Panthers, Eddy Pineiro

"But the sense in league circles is that Carolina will allow Pineiro to test free agency following a season in which he made 22-of-26 field goals and was 33-of-35 on extra points. Accuracy has never been the issue with Pineiro. But Panthers coach Dave Canales and his staff seemed to have little faith in Pineiro’s leg strength."

To be sure, there are far worse kickers around the league than Pineiro, who has a career 88.1% mark in field goal accuracy, which ranks third-best all-time behind Justin Tucker and Harrison Butker. However, Pineiro's few misses this past season (he went 22/26) came at inopportune times and may have cost the Panthers a couple of games.

What's more important is Person's note about Pineiro's leg strength. While he went 5/7 on kicks of 50+ yards in 2023, the fact that Dave Canales only let him try two such attempts this year shows he doesn't have much faith in his leg power. That means there's a good chance that Person's buzz will wind up being correct.

Person predicted that the Panthers will sign an undrafted free agent to compete with Wright, but if they want a more experienced hand at this spot Carolina could bring back Joey Slye, or sign someone like Matt Prater - who has about as much range as any kicker in the NFL.

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