After what’s gone down in the sudden Carolina Panthers’ kicking competition over the previous two days, we thought we had a heated one-on-one battle on our hands. And we still do, but just with a different opponent.
The Panthers announced the acquisition of kicker Ryan Santoso on Thursday afternoon. This trade, one that’ll send back a conditional 2022 seventh-round pick to the New York Giants, comes less than 48 hours following the signing of the German-born boot Dominik Eberle.
Santoso, a big boy of a kicker at 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds, cracked into the league out of the University of Minnesota with the Detroit Lions back in 2018. He’d also go on to brief stints with the Tennessee Titans and the Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes before joining the Giants.
New York did like the work Santoso put in for them during his time there, most recently having converted on an extra point attempt and bombing three touchbacks in three tries in this past week’s preseason contest. But, with (old friend) Graham Gano having clamps on the kicking job, there was no room for the 26-year-old.
To make room for Santoso, Eberle has been cut by the team. He and Joey Slye, the struggling incumbent, will now compete in what’s quickly become the Great Carolina Foot Fight of 2021.
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