Despite having a solid showing in 2024, the Carolina Panthers did not bring back kicker Eddy Pineiro, which leaves the team with a major question mark at at the position.
As things stand now, the Panthers have just two kickers on their roster in Matthew Wright and former Florida State kicker, Ryan Fitzgerald, who was reportedly signed after the draft.
While Wright is the clear favorite to win the competition between those two thanks to his experience, he is far from a proven option.
With that in mind, Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski believes Fitzgerald is the Panthers UDFA most likely to make the cut.
"The Carolina Panthers didn't bring back Eddy Piñeiro this offseason," Sobleski wrote. "The organization signed Matthew Wright for a third time, though he's never been a team's full-time kicker. Two kickers heard their names called during the 2025 NFL draft. Florida State's Ryan Fitzgerald wasn't one of them despite a claim that he was one of the top available options after being a first-team All-American selection last season and converting all of his attempts last season, including going five-for-five from 50 yards and beyond."
After some early struggles during his collegiate career, Fitzgerald proved to be one of the more reliable kickers. After posting a field goal success rate of 90.5% in 2023, Fitzgerald made all 13 of his attempts in 2024.
Fitzgerald has also shown he can hit field goals from distance, with the Florida State product going 5-for-5 from 50-plus yards last season, including a 59-yarder against Georgia Tech.
"Fitzgerald turned a major corner after an erratic 2022 season and has been a picture of consistency since then," Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote in a scouting report. "He has proven he can hit the long field goal with consistent lift and ball flight. Fitzgerald needs to improve his hang time on kickoffs and must prove that inconsistencies with intermediate kicks are in the past."
Undrafted free agents always face an uphill climb in making a roster, let alone grabbing a starting spot. But with the uncertainty at Carolina's kicking spot, it's not crazy to think Fitzgerald could buck that trend.
With all that said, chances are the Panthers aren't done adding kickers, so look for another veteran to be thrown into the mix eventually.
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