The Carolina Panthers brought in three free agent kickers for visits during their bye week. That list included Louie Zervos, Lirim Hajrullahu and Chandler Catanzaro, who spent some time with the 2018 team.
Despite appearances, head coach Matt Rhule told the media today via Zoom that he’s “comfortable” with Joey Slye.
Matt Rhule says that he is comfortable with Joey Slye. Declines to say exactly what role they could fill with kickers that are trying out for Panthers tomorrow.
— Alaina Getzenberg (@agetzenberg) December 7, 2020
Slye missed a 54-yard kick late against the Vikings, dropping his field goal rate to 77.4% and his record on 50+ yard kicks to just 1/6 in 2020.
The stats don’t sound great, but they also don’t tell the full story. It’s not like Slye has been lining up from 51-53 yards each time. In fact, he’s been asked to kick multiple times from 65 or more yards.
Fans may be impatient for a change, but that might not be the best idea. Remember, Slye is still only 24 years old and has demonstrated excellent range. Just last season, Slye was 8/11 on attempts of 50 or more yards.
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