Getty Images Matthew Wright (No. 16) of the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. the Cleveland Browns on Jan. 3, 2021.
The Carolina Panthers lost placekicker Zane Gonzalez to a “significant” groin injury during the team’s 21-0 victory over the Buffalo Bills this past Friday night. The injury has opened the door for former Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Matthew Wright to potentially win the right to serve as Gonzalez’s replacement.
On Monday, Wright was one of five kickers to work out for the Panthers, this according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network.
Panthers worked out kickers Taylor Bertolet, Brian Johnson, Chase McLaughlin, Eddie Pinerio, Matthew Wright
Wright actually has a pretty good chance of getting signed ahead of the likes of Brian Johnson (Washington Commanders, New Orleans Saints), Chase McLaughlin (Cleveland Browns, among others), Eddy Pineiro (Chicago Bears, New York Jets) and Taylor Bertolet, with Johnson and Pineiro arguably his strongest competition.
Wright Was 11 of 11 With the Steelers
Keep in mind that Wright has proven himself to be an accurate kicker whenever he’s had the opportunity to fill in for a proven veteran.
That includes in 2020, when he stood in for Chris Boswell and converted all seven of his extra-point attempts, as well as all four of his field goal tries.
Then in 2021, he kicked in 14 games for the Jacksonville Jaguars and was almost as successful, making 21 of 24 field goals and 13 of 15 extra points. He was also the hero in Jacksonville’s 23-20 win over the Miami Dolphins in London last October, which ended Jacksonville’s 20-game losing streak. That said, it was something of a surprise when the Jaguars waived him in mid-May of this year.
Matthew Wright Set Records at Central Florida
Wright, 26, got his first chance in the NFL in 2019, after the Steelers signed him as an undrafted free agent to compete with Boswell. He converted five of six field goal attempts during the 2019 preseason, yet the Steelers elected to stick with their established veteran.
He was invited back for a tryout the following year, and soon afterwards he was signed to Pittsburgh’s practice squad. He made his regular-season debut versus Washington when Boswell was out with a hip injury, and kicked in two more games after Boswell suffered a groin injury.
A lack of leg strength has seemingly held him back from earning a regular job, though he did convert a 56-yard field goal last year while with the Jaguars. He also managed to improve his touchback percentage on kickoffs, which was a miserable 1 of 15 (6.7%) in Pittsburgh, and a somewhat better 6 of 31 (19.4%) in Jacksonville, according to Pro Football Reference.
He holds Central Florida’s all-time record for most career points with 375, as well as the school’s record for most field goals made (55). He also set a Knights record by converting 212 PATs, including 153 in a row.
John Harbaugh: ‘Poe Had a Tough Injury’
On a completely different note: On Monday Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh updated the media about the availability of his team’s mascot, who suffered a “possible torn ACL” at halftime of the Commanders-Ravens preseason game this past weekend.
Harbaugh did not confirm the diagnosis, he simply noted that “Poe had a tough injury” and promised that “Poe will be back.”
The Ravens also sent out a tweet promising updates on Poe’s status. Meanwhile, “he’s resting comfortably in his perch awaiting further test results,” said the team.
Thanks for all your concerned tweets 💜
Poe took some damage to his drumstick and ruffled some feathers last night during his Mascot Classic.
We’ll continue to share updates on Poe’s status, but he’s resting comfortably in his perch awaiting further test results.
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Former Steelers Placekicker Works out For Panthers