Carolina Panthers: First-quarter grades of 2019
Special Teams
Kicker: 91 (A-)
Punter: 93 (A)
Punt Return: 85 (B)
Kick Return: 85 (B)
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Joey Slye missed his very first regular season kick but has since connected on 10 straight field goal attempts. After an impressive preseason, Slye continues to prove he’s an asset and weapon for the Panthers.
Punter Michael Palardy has been helping the Panthers flip the field in their favor since beating out legendary punter Andy Lee, prior to the 2017 season. Averaging right at 50-yards per punt, his hang time and directional styles also often benefit this unit of special teams.
Return man Ray-Ray McCloud was a welcome addition to Carolina after the preseason and has boosted the return teams on both punt and kickoff. Though he has made some questionable decisions by bringing the ball out of the end zone on a few kickoffs, the benefits have far outweighed any mistakes to this point.
Next. No Reason to Panic ... Yet. dark
Carolina continues play with a home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2) this week.