Panthers special teams spotlight: Pending free agents, possible targets, 2023 draft outlook
Rarely do teams hire a head coach and keep a coordinator from the previous regime.
But new Carolina Panthers coach Frank Reich decided special teams coordinator Chris Tabor was worth retaining. Tabor earned another season in Carolina by orchestrating a special teams unit that finished fourth in Rich Gosselin’s annual special teams rankings.
Before Tabor, the Panthers finished 28th in Gosselin’s 2021 rankings. Tabor helped stabilize the Panthers’ punt and kickoff coverage and maximized the team’s kicking game. Signing all-decade kicker Johnny Hekker helped. So did adding kicker Eddy Piñeiro following Zane Gonzalez’s season-ending groin injury in Week 3 of the preseason.
Hekker, long snapper JJ Jansen and Piñeiro led the Panthers’ special teams while safety Sam Franklin emerged as one of the best coverage players in the league.
There are important questions Tabor must solve this offseason. Let’s explore the Panthers’ special teams options.
Pending free agents
K Eddy Piñeiro
Piñeiro turned his season around after missing two potential game-winning kicks in Week 8 versus the Atlanta Falcons. He finished the season with a conversion rate of 94.2% on field goals, which placed him at the top of the NFL rankings for a kicker with 25 or more attempts.
Retaining Piñeiro should be a priority but there is a chance he has priced himself out of the Panthers’ pay range.
WR/KR Andre Roberts
The Panthers signed Roberts shortly after last year’s draft. But the former three-time Pro Bowler’s impact in Carolina was nonexistent. He spent 14 games on injured reserve after sustaining a knee injury in Week 1 and offered minimal returns in his two-game comeback at the season’s end.
At 34, Roberts’ career is winding down. His signing turned out to be a bust for the Panthers,
Under contract
LS JJ Jansen
The Panthers’ all-time games leader re-signed in Carolina on Monday. Jansen, 37, has shown no signs of regression at the position. Earlier this season, Jansen told The Observer that he’d like to play four or five more seasons.
Jansen will help Reich and the new coaching staff transition into a new era of Panthers football.
P Johnny Hekker
Hekker revitalized his career by coming to Carolina after playing 10 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. He signed a three-year, $7.6 million deal last offseason, making him the third-highest-paid kicker in the NFL.
K Zane Gonzalez
Gonzalez is under contract for one more year. He is expected to be ready for the 2023 season. Gonzalez sustained a season-ending groin injury while warming up on the sidelines during the Panthers’ preseason finale. In 2021, he hit 17 consecutive field goals and won NFC special teams player of the week honors in Weeks 8 and 10.
Draft outlook
Will Reichard, K, Alabama
The Panthers would be better off retaining Piñeiro or reverting back to Gonzalez rather than using draft capital on a kicker. But kicker Will Reichard was a model of consistency at Alabama and should bring similar reliability to the NFL. He was a three-year starter and connected on 22-of-26 attempts last season. His longest kick was 52 yards.
Potential free agent options
The Panthers have an all-decade punter, a reliable kicker, and a franchise legend in Jansen all under contract. After swinging and missing on an expensive returner last offseason, it’s unlikely Carolina will pursue any special teamers through free agency.
