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Carolina Panthers kicker Ryan Fitzgerald is using his first full NFL offseason to his advantage.
The second-year special teamer was profiled by Panthers.com in a new article from Friday morning. Fitzgerald went into the feelings from his "whirlwind rookie year," where he won the team's starting kicking job as an undrafted free agent out of Florida State.
"It was a constant go-go-go," he stated, via team reporter Darin Gantt. "Just a constant, I've got to win the job, got to keep the job, got to perform well. But that's the NFL, so I think just getting used to that and having that first game-winner under the belt helped a lot."
That first game-winner came in Week 6 of the 2025 campaign, against the Dallas Cowboys at Bank of America Stadium. Fitzgerald booted through a 33-yard field goal as time expired to push the Panthers to a 30-27 victory and, at the time, a 3-3 record.
Fitzgerald would go on to add three more game-winners—nailing walk-offs in Green Bay and Atlanta, then a go-ahead 48-yarder in Carolina's huge Week 16 matchup versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He ended his first season having hit on 24 of his 29 field goal attempts and 27 of his 30 extra point tries.
Now, the 25-year-old seems to be reaping the benefits of experiencing a full year in the NFL.
"Yeah, having an actual offseason this year was huge," Fitzgerald said. "I mean, coming into OTAs, my legs feel great, feel fresher than they've ever been before, and just working with (director of performance) Josh Hingst in the weight room, just getting stronger.
"I feel more explosive. My numbers are up across the board, so we'll just keep going."
His longest make as a rookie came from 57 yards out, and he was two-of-five on attempts of 50 yards or more. So hopefully for Fitzgerald and Carolina, those numbers are primed to go up as well.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers kicker says his numbers are up across the board this offseason
Continue reading...
The second-year special teamer was profiled by Panthers.com in a new article from Friday morning. Fitzgerald went into the feelings from his "whirlwind rookie year," where he won the team's starting kicking job as an undrafted free agent out of Florida State.
"It was a constant go-go-go," he stated, via team reporter Darin Gantt. "Just a constant, I've got to win the job, got to keep the job, got to perform well. But that's the NFL, so I think just getting used to that and having that first game-winner under the belt helped a lot."
That first game-winner came in Week 6 of the 2025 campaign, against the Dallas Cowboys at Bank of America Stadium. Fitzgerald booted through a 33-yard field goal as time expired to push the Panthers to a 30-27 victory and, at the time, a 3-3 record.
Fitzgerald would go on to add three more game-winners—nailing walk-offs in Green Bay and Atlanta, then a go-ahead 48-yarder in Carolina's huge Week 16 matchup versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He ended his first season having hit on 24 of his 29 field goal attempts and 27 of his 30 extra point tries.
Now, the 25-year-old seems to be reaping the benefits of experiencing a full year in the NFL.
"Yeah, having an actual offseason this year was huge," Fitzgerald said. "I mean, coming into OTAs, my legs feel great, feel fresher than they've ever been before, and just working with (director of performance) Josh Hingst in the weight room, just getting stronger.
"I feel more explosive. My numbers are up across the board, so we'll just keep going."
His longest make as a rookie came from 57 yards out, and he was two-of-five on attempts of 50 yards or more. So hopefully for Fitzgerald and Carolina, those numbers are primed to go up as well.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers kicker says his numbers are up across the board this offseason
Continue reading...
