The Carolina Panthers continue their search for a permanent kicker. Sources say on Thursday, they acquired kicker Ryan Santoso from the New York Giants.
Carolina traded a conditional seventh-round pick to the Giants. The pick was the original property of the Miami Dolphins and will be the higher of the Tennessee Titans or New England Patriots seventh-round draft selections in 2022, as long as Santoso appears in two games for the Panthers. The signing comes less than 48 hours after the acquisition of German-born kicker Dominik Eberle.
Santoso, at 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds, broke into the NFL three seasons ago, joining the Detroit Lions, coming out of the University of Minnesota. He has made the rounds, spending a short time with the Tennessee Titans and in the Canadian Football League with the Montreal Alouettes, before joining the Giants.
The 26-year Santoso has put in good work at the Giants training camp this summer, displaying both strength and pin-point accuracy. He most recently converted on an extra point attempt and forced three touchbacks in three attempts in this past weekend’s exhibition game. Although he played well, Santoso could not overtake veteran kicker Graham Gano for the job.
Due to the fact that the Giants were going to cut Santoso soon anyway, they got value back for him by receiving a seventh-round pick instead of just letting him walk away for nothing.
In order to make a roster spot available, the Panthers had to release Eberle. He and Joey Slye, the struggling incumbent, will now go head-to-head, competing to see who will take over kicking responsibilities for the Panthers.
