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It's not uncommon for teams to go into camp and the preseason with multiple kickers. Even if they already know who their starter is, a little competition never hurt anyone. Especially because it gives the team a chance to not overuse their kicker in the preseason.
For the Carolina Panthers, that was their plan. Graham Gano was their starter – that was obvious. He's one of the best in the NFL and has a ridiculously strong leg. However, things can change.
Gano hasn't kicked at all this preseason due to a knee injury. The kicker they brought in is Joey Slye and he is 6-for-6 on field goals so far.
Although he's never kicked in a regular season game before, it looks like that might be changing. According to Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com, the Panthers might be holding onto Slye in the wake of the Gano injury.
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“If the Panthers’ uneasiness about Gano’s injury leads them to hold onto Slye, they could keep both kickers through the cut to 53 and then place Gano on injured reserve so he could return later in the season. That’s not ideal, but, absent a compelling trade offer, it may be preferable to cutting Gano and taking on $2.5 million in dead cap space.”
Cutting Gano seems like a bold play unless the injury is really that bad. He's a proven veteran and one of the best kickers in the entire NFL. Dropping him for an injury that only keeps him out for a few weeks to replace him with an unproven kicker seems risky.
However, keeping two kickers through the roster cuts isn't common either.
It's safe to say the Panthers find themselves in a very peculiar situation. Whatever they decide though, as the regular season approaches it's becoming more and more likely that Joey Slye will be kicking for them in Week 1.
