Tyler Newsome offers intrigue but unlikely to unseat Andy Lee as punter

The Arizona Cardinals have a veteran group of specialists on their roster. They replaced kicker Zane Gonzalez with 36-year-old Matt Prater and re-signed punter Andy Lee. They also added a young punter, which is something the Cardinals do yearly.

They almost always have an extra kicker or punter on the roster in the offseason.

This year, they signed Tyler Newsome, a big-legged punter out of Notre Dame.

Some of his kicking in the offseason caught some attention on social media. He recorded a punt with a hang time of six seconds.

Former NFL punter Pat McAfee gave his thoughts.

Jim Nagy, executive director of the Senior Bowl, added information from his experience around scores of football players.

One would think that he could compete with Andy Lee for the punting job.

He will certainly be given the opportunity to compete, but the likelihood of winning job seems slim.

One, Lee has been incredibly consistent for years. Two, much of Lee’s contract is fully guaranteed. $650,000 of his $1.5 million salary is guaranteed. The Cardinals are not in the habit of cutting players whom they have to pay.

With an expanded practice squad again in 2021, he could be the specialist they keep there.

There is also a small chance they could keep him on the roster as a third kicker/punter if he can be a kickoff specialist.

Newsome might provide some intrigue in the preseason, but any thought he actually wins the job seems unlikely.

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