The Carolina Panthers have signed former Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Matthew Wright, the team announced today.
Wright’s had two separate stints with the Steelers, kicking for the team in 2020 and again last season in place of an injured Chris Boswell.
In seven total games with Pittsburgh, Wright went 6-for-7 on field goal attempts with a long of 52 yards and 14-for-14 on extra points. He also spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs in an NFL career that’s spanned 23 games. He’s 11-for-14 on field goal attempts in his career and 35-for-37 on extra points. Pittsburgh went 3-1 with Wright at kicker last season, its lone loss coming to the Cincinnati Bengals in a game where he went 3-for-3.
In Carolina, he’ll compete with Eddy Pineiro, who was Carolina’s primary kicker last season. In a corresponding move, the Panthers waived undrafted rookie OL B.J. Wilson. Pineiro signed a two-year extension with $2.25 million guaranteed with Carolina in April, but he’s dealing with a groin injury that leaves him uncertain for the team’s preseason opener.
That makes this more of an audition for Wright elsewhere, as Pineiro seems to have Carolina’s job locked up if he can return to full strength. Wright clearly isn’t viewed by NFL teams as a legitimate starter, but he’s been successful as an injury replacement for Pittsburgh and elsewhere. If he can show enough in his stint with the Panthers, he may be able to latch on somewhere as a starter if a team isn’t comfortable with its kicker situation.
