4 Carolina Panthers who could pull a Shohei Ohtani and play both ways
By Jason Huber
Joey Slye – Carolina Panthers K
- Kicker to linebacker
Most football players don’t ‘plan’ to be a kicker. But a big reason for that is because their skills and body size don’t fit the mold to play another position either in college or at the professional level.
However, Carolina Panthers kicker Joey Slye might be the exception if he were asked to line up on defense.
Also known as the ‘swole-kicker,’ Slye is a built dude and owns his own gym.
When thinking of kickers, you imagine a skinnier guy with a strong leg. But Slye has it all from a physical standpoint.
The reason why Slye playing two sides of the ball is a no-brainer is that he actually was an All-State linebacker and kicker while playing for North Stafford High School in Virginia.
He converted to full-time kicker as a walk-on at Virginia Tech, proving to be good enough to sign with the New York Giants and eventually the Panthers in 2019.
The strength of Slye’s leg can be seen anytime he lines up for a kick. However, he’s also already shown his linebacker skills in the NFL when he made a tackle on special teams against the Los Angeles Chargers last season.
Slye was also nicknamed ‘linebacker-kicker’ in college. Make of that what you will.