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Dave Canales says Carolina Panthers have not decided on their kicker as of yet

The kicker competition hasn't yet been settled.
Zach Roberts|
Aug 2, 2025; Charlottle, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers place kicker Matthew Wright (37) during Fanfest at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Aug 2, 2025; Charlottle, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers place kicker Matthew Wright (37) during Fanfest at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers have been having a legitimate kicker competition this offseason. After moving on from the often unreliable Eddy Pineiro, they brought in Matthew Wright and signed UDFA Ryan Fitzgerald to battle it out.

Both have had good days at practice on the skinny posts as well as rough outings. The preseason, which just concluded with a third loss, was not quite enough to separate them, at least for head coach Dave Canales to call.

Panthers coach reveals when he'll name kicker

A kicker is an extremely important player in football. Teams may take it for granted, but field goals aren't guaranteed points, and having good kickoffs is valuable. The Panthers have lost games recently because of kicking.

Dave Canales admitted that the Panthers were unable to decide when the final whistle blew about their kicker. He said in the postgame presser that he'd make a decision tomorrow, but as of now, nothing's set in stone. He liked what both kickers brought to the table, but it remains to be seen which one will get the job.

Neither appears to have a significant leg up over the other. However, Ryan Fitzgerald was happy with how he kicked tonight in the 19-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was also pretty happy with how he's done kicking off this summer. Time will tell if it is enough to convince Dave Canales and company.

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Zach Roberts
ZACH ROBERTS

Zachary Roberts is a journalist with a wide variety of experience covering basketball, golf, entertainment, video games, music, football, baseball, and hockey. He currently covers Charlotte sports teams and has been featured on Sportskeeda, Yardbarker, MSN, and On SI.

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