Carolina Panthers place kicker on injured reserve, ending season

The Carolina Panthers have been barraged with injuries all season, and on Wednesday, the organization received more bad news.

“The #Panthers are placing K Zane Gonzalez on Injured Reserve, source said, ending his season,” NFL Insider Ian Rappaport tweeted. “The quad injury wasn’t as significant as feared, just a four-week quad strain. Yesterday, CAR claimed K Lirim Hajrullahu.”

Rappaport’s confirmation now provides clarity for the move made by the Panthers on Tuesday, as first reported by Joe Person.

Panthers sign kicker from Washington Football Team

According to Person, the Carolina Panthers are signing kicker Lirim Hajrullahu off of the Washington Football Team’s practice squad. This will be Hajrullahu’s second stint with Carolina, being on the practice squad in Dec. 2020. There were issues with his visa, causing him to be cut.

Hajrullahu will be replacing Zane Gonzales, who injured himself in pregame warmups before playing the Buffalo Bills. The Panthers did not attempt a field goal and a point after, playing a factor in the 31-14 loss.

Now, Carolina will be turning to a kicker who has only played in one career NFL game. Hajrullahu made his debut this season for the Dallas Cowboys against the Atlanta Falcons with Greg Zuerlein out. He made all five extra points but did not attempt a field goal.

Carolina Panthers sign defensive end from Cowboys

The Carolina Panthers have signed defensive end Azur Kamara off of waivers from the Dallas Cowboys, according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. He was cut on Monday after appearing in nine games this season.

Kamara made his NFL debut in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Chargers and recorded a tackle in three consecutive games. He has played sparingly on special teams as well, playing a season-high 18 snaps with the unit against the Las Vegas Raiders on Thanksgiving Day.

Coming out of Kansas, Kamara was an undrafted free agent signed by Dallas before the 2020 season. The defensive end played well during his senior season in Lawrence, recording 106 tackles, 24.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.

Kamara was also featured during the Cowboys’ appearance on Hard Knocks, with the show following his journey throughout training camp.