The Panthers need a kicker. That much is obvious.
Zane Gonzalez injured his groin while warming up in the kicking net on the sideline Friday night. Coach Matt Rhule has called it a “significant” injury.
The Panthers began the process of replacing Gonzalez on Monday by working out five kickers.
According to the NFL’s personnel notice, Carolina had Taylor Bertolet, Brian Johnson, Chase McLaughlin, Eddy Pineiro and Matthew Wright in town.
Bertolet has never kicked in an NFL game; Johnson was the kicker in four games for New Orleans and three for Washington last season, going 10-of-10 on his field goal tries and 9-of-13 on his PATs; McLaughlin has kicked for six teams the past three years, going 37-of-49 on his field goal attempts and 67-of-69 on his extra points; Pineiro kicked in 16 games for the Bears in 2019 and five with the Jets last year and is 31-of-36 in his career on field goal attempts and 36-of-39 on PATs; Wright kicked in three games with the Steelers in 2020 and 14 with the Jaguars in 2021, going 25-of-28 on field goal attempts and 20-of-22 on extra points.
The Panthers had Lirim Hajrullahu as their kicker for three games last season after Gonzalez was injured warming up before the game against the Bills.