As first reported by a source from The Athletic, the Carolina Panthers have parted ways with kicker Ryan Santoso after just one regular season game. By making this move, the Panthers will get back their conditional seventh-round draft pick from the New York Giants, since Santoso could not last two games on the active roster.
It was obvious that Santoso’s days in the organization were numbered when head coach Matt Rhule denied him the opportunity to attempt a 52-yard field goal in the early stages of the game against the New York Jets on Sunday.
The 6-foot-5, 250 pounder, missed an extra point try, following a 57-yard connection between quarterback Sam Darnold and wide receiver Robby Anderson. This was his ‘second strike’ of the day. Santoso did not last to see strike three.
Rhule explained to the media on Monday that the team’s kicking competition was still ongoing, with challenger Dominik Eberle in the background on the 16-man practice squad.
“They were competing last week,” Rhule said of Santoso and practice squad kicker Dominik Eberle. “We’ve kinda gone back and forth just, in terms of practice, having guys kick. So we’ll continue to, really at every position—you know we say that, but it’s true at most positions—we’ll continue to have a competition to go out there and kick.”
The Panthers may not choose Eberle for the Week 2 match-up with the New Orleans Saints, but Santoso is a memory.
Carolina has a new kicker in town, veteran Zane Gonzalez, whose signing was made official Tuesday, after Santoso’s departure. Gonzalez, who was a part of the Detroit Lions practice squad, ‘had a cup of coffee’ with the Panthers previously this summer as a tryout participant.
Over his four-year career, the 26-year-old veteran kicker has converted on 71 out of 91 field goal attempts (78 percent) and 105 out of 111 extra points (94.6 percent).
Let the competition begin.
