4 major standouts from Week 2 of Panthers 2022 training camp
By Dean Jones
Zane Gonzalez – Carolina Panthers K
While all the focus is on offense and defense, for the most part, Zane Gonzalez is putting together an extremely solid training camp. The kicker was an absolute revelation for the Carolina Panthers in 2021 before injury cut his campaign short, but those in power did the right thing by giving the veteran a new deal to prevent him from hitting the free-agent market.
Gonzalez has once again been almost flawless throughout practice this week, hitting some eye-catching long-range efforts that leave many reasons to be encouraged about another consistent campaign in 2022. Considering how things could go either way for the Panthers next time around, this will be a tremendous asset to call upon when push comes to shove.
Having a dependable kicker is something the Panthers were craving after making Graham Gano a salary-cap casualty. Joey Slye and Ryan Santoso didn’t cut it, so Gonzalez’s impact was the stars finally aligning in a positive fashion.
The former seventh-round pick clearly looks to build on a strong first campaign in Carolina. With All-Decade punter Johnny Hekker and All-Pro returner Andre Roberts also on board, the Panthers’ special teams unit could be an area of real strength under the guidance of Chris Tabor.
Not having to worry about the kicker is unusual for fans lately. Thankfully, that should change with Gonzalez.