The Arizona Cardinals believe they upgraded the kicker position this offseason when they signed Matt Prater, who turns 37 years old this month. However, in doing so, they might need a kickoff specialist, as he has not handled kickoff duties full-time since 2013.
However, it appears, at least early in camp, that Prater will need to kick off this year.
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury said a final decision has not been made but it is leaning in that direction.
“We’re still working through that,” he told reporters Saturday. “That’s probably where we are at right now, but we’ll see how it all plays out.”
When the Cardinals simulated kickoffs in practice on Saturday, it was punter Tyler Newsome who lined up to kick the ball before they used a machine to practice kick returns.
Newsome is an intriguing punter but because Andy Lee has a chunk of his 2021 salary fully guaranteed, it is unlikely Newsome could unseat Lee for the punting job. It would mean keeping a second punter on the roster and active on game days to just do kickoffs.
Prater certainly has the leg to be able to kick the ball off, as he hit field goals as long as 66 yards in practice.
Kingsbury said Prater would be willing to do it. “I think he’s good with anything,” he said. “He’s a competitor and liked to be out there playing.”
The Cardinals’ first preseason game is August 13. We will see if Prater kicks off at all then,
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