NFL Player News

Gonzalez is expected to be placed on injured reserve after suffering a "significant" groin injury, Ellis L. Williams of The Charlotte Observer reports.

It's unclear if the injury is of the season-ending variety, but it certainly appears as if the veteran kicker will be out for a long period of time regardless. The Panthers don't currently have another kicker on the active, so expect the team to sign one shortly after roster cutdowns occur.

Gonzalez suffered a groin injury during Friday's preseason contest against the Bills, Schuyler Callihan of SI.com reports.

The injury didn't happen on the field, but instead on the sideline as Gonzalez readied himself for a potential field goal or extra point in the third quarter. After taking a practice kick into the net, he went to the ground and eventually was carted to the locker room. While Gonzalez was deemed questionable to return, the Panthers soon may have to hold tryouts if the issue is considered a serious one.

Gonzalez (leg) was carted to the locker room during Friday's preseason game versus the Bills, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

According to Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site, Gonzalez went down after attempting a practice kick on the sideline as the team's offense entered the red zone. Gonzalez was steady for Carolina last season, making 20 of 22 field-goal attempts and 22 of 23 point-after tries in 12 appearances. It remains to be seen if the Panthers will be required to bring in a reinforcement at placekicker.

The Ravens signed Dicker on Friday.

Dicker signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent in May and spent the majority of the offseason with Los Angeles, where he worked primarily as a punter. The Texas product, who has experience punting and place kicking, will likely stick as a punter in Baltimore and compete with a fellow rookie, fourth-round pick Jordan Stout, during the final days leading up Tuesday's 53-man roster deadline.

Gano (concussion) has been ruled out for Sunday's preseason finale against the Jets, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

Gano suffered a concussion while trying to make a tackle during last Sunday's preseason game versus Cincinnati, so it's not surprising to see him ruled out for the final exhibition contest. The Giants signed Ryan Santoso on Friday, so he'll likely operate as the team's primary place kicker against the Jets.

Butker (ankle) made both extra-point tries and his only field-goal attempt during Thursday's preseason win versus the Packers.

Butker missed practice on Aug. 15 due to ankle soreness, but he proceeded to log every kicker rep in the Chiefs' final two exhibitions, exhibiting his health ahead of the regular season. Since Patrick Mahomes became the team's full-time starting quarterback in 2018, Butker has averaged 51.3 made PATs and 27 made FGAs per campaign, which equates to 8.3 points per game.

Blankenship has won the Colts' kicking battle with the team releasing Jake Verity on Thursday, Mike Chappell of Fox 59 News Indianapolis reports.

Blankenship entered as the favorite and reportedly outkicked Verity at training camp, even showing improved ability on tries from 50-plus yards. While he has one of the weaker legs among NFL starting placekickers, Blankenship could be useful in fantasy leagues this year, playing for a dome team that many project to win a weak AFC South.

Fairbairn is dealing with an undisclosed short-term injury and isn't expected to be available for Thursday's preseason finale versus the 49ers, Aaron Wilson of Sportstalk 790 Houston reports.

The injury isn't expected to affect Fairbairn's availability for Week 1, even though he'll be missing the preseason finale. The kicker has converted on two of his three field-goal tries through two exhibition games, with his only miss coming from 59 yards out.

Coach Brian Daboll said Wednesday that Gano (concussion) is making progress in his recovery, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Gano suffered a concussion when he made a diving tackle attempt during Sunday's preseason game versus Cincinnati, and it has yet to be determined whether he'll be cleared for the Giants' preseason finale at the Jets. For now, he's the only kicker on the roster.

The Titans placed Shudak (undisclosed) on the reserve/PUP list Tuesday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

The rookie kicker has been dealing with an undisclosed injury since June and will now miss Tennessee's first four games as a result of the transaction. The road to playing time for Shudak doesn't look promising, given Randy Bullock is still with the team and has been impressive throughout training camp, per Jim Wyatt of the team's official site.