Cardinals special teams coach watching punter competition closely
The Cardinals are going to have a new punter this season after six seasons of Andy Lee, who was not re-signed. Former Arizona State punter Matt Haack, entering his seventh NFL season, and Nolan Cooney, who was on the team's practice squad last season, are currently competing for the job in training camp.
Cardinals special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers on Thursday said both have looked "pretty decent" so far.
"A little bit more familiarity with Cooney. Obviously he's been here before. Getting to know Matt, Matt's got more NFL tape so, you know, get a solid feel for what their skill sets are," Rodgers said. "Both guys were really good on Tuesday (in full pads). "
Rodgers had yet to see the practice tape from Thursday's session in pads, but said that on Saturday, there will be more punting to watch.
"There's factors that go into it, right? Like Nolan kicks off, which is good. Matt's left-footed, which causes issues sometimes with returners," Rodgers said. "Matt's got a little bit more experience but Nolan's hitting the ball really well right now. The holding (for field goals) part will factor in. It's hard to say kind of where things are at right now, because we're pretty close. ... See how that plays over the next few weeks."
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Plenty to evaluate as Cardinals' punter job competition heats up
