When the Carolina Panthers' starting kicker Eddy Pineiro returned to practice this week, he had good news to report. 

He expects to be ready to play in Week 1 of the regular season. 

“I’m feeling great,” he said. “Just had like a little groin strain at the beginning of camp. But I feel amazing now. Just being careful with the whole situation… "Put me in, coach. I'm ready."

Already, Pineiro is behind the curve after missing the last few weeks with a groin injury connected to his kicking leg. 

It threw off his preparation and routine, which he described as "big" for kickers. 

But that, for the most part, is behind him. He will be ready to play Week 1 if that decision is left up to him. But he knows that Panthers head coach Frank Reich has the final say on when he will be ready to play. 

"That's the game plan," he said about the season opener. "Like I said, I leave it up to coach. I feel physically ready; mentally, I feel ready. You know, I'm going to leave it up to them and the trainers. They've got a good plan for me. So I just take it day by day with them."

In 2022, Pineiro made 33 of his 35 field goal tries and 30 of his 32 extra point attempts

His production earned him a new two-year deal. And with his return, Pineiro will finally get to show why the Panthers thought he was worth the contract extension in April. 

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Feature image via Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports.