Carolina Panthers kicker Graham Gano is not expected to take part in the preseason finale versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. It appears his unavailability could spill over into the 2019 NFL season.
Gano has spent training camp and the preseason recovering from a lingering knee injury.
According to NFL Network's Tiffany Blackmon, the Panthers may be forced to put him on injured reserve:
Hearing from sources that Panthers kicker Graham Gano’s knee injury doesn’t seem to be getting better and that this could be a situation where the team puts him on IR early, in hopes of getting him back later in the season.
Gano has missed the entire preseason with the knee injury and the update suggests that it is not going to heal any time soon. If he is placed on IR, he will not be allowed to return until after Week 8.
Gano has held his post in Carolina since the 2012 NFL season. He emerged as one of the most reliable legs in the league during that time which earned him a four-year, $17 million contract extension last offseason after being named to the Pro Bowl in 2017. The 32-year-old finished the 2018 campaign hitting 14-of-16 field goal attempts while missing three PATs.
Fortunately, kicker Joey Sly has proven to be a viable replacement for Gano this preseason. He has hit all six of his field-goal attempts thus far, including a couple of 50-yarders.
Although the Panthers' potential decision to place Gano on IR indicates that he is not at risk of losing his job, Slye will have ample opportunities to showcase his talent this season.
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