New P Matt Haack’s 2022 punting stats compared to Andy Lee

We look at what new punter Matt Haack punting stats compare with Andy Lee, the Cardinals’ punter for the last seven seasons.

The Arizona Cardinals made only one change this offseason in their trio of specialists. Back is long snapper Aaron Brewer on a one-year contract and kicker Matt Prater re-signed on a two-year deal.

However, they replaced punter Andy Lee with Matt Haack.

Lee would be 41 years old this coming season, while Haack will turn 29 later thus month.

How did the two stack up statistically last season?

Punting average

Lee’s 47.1 yards per punt was superior to Haack’s last season. Haack averaged 44.8 for the Indianapolis Colts.

Haack has been very consistent since entering the league. He has a career average of 44.5 yards per punt and in five of his six seasons, he has averaged between 44.5 and 45.0 yards.

Net average

Lee also had a better net average of 40.2 compared to Haack’s 39.6.

Net average, of course, factors in the coverage team but Lee’s difference between average and net average is 6.9 yards. Haack’s difference is 5.2 yards.

Haack’s career net is 39.6 while Lee’s is 39.9.

Touchbacks

Generally speaking, punters don’t want touchbacks.

Lee had four last season for a 6.0% average. Haack had only three for a 4.3% average.

Lee’s career touchback rate is 9.0%. Haack’s is 5.8%.

Inside the 20

The best kind of punt is one that is downed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.

Lee’s inside-the-20 percentage was 26.9%. His career average is 32.5%.

Haack had 40.0% of his punts downed inside the 20 and his career rate is 37.3%.


Lee was a fine punter for the Cardinals. He was also a fantastic holder.

But Haack has been consistently good at avoiding touchbacks and having them downed inside the 20. We will see if this trend continues.

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WR Michael Wilson, CB Kei’Trel Clark already have uniform changes

The jersey changes by Wilson and Clark signal the Cardinals have moved on from punter Andy Lee.

The Arizona Cardinals, not long after the NFL draft, announced the uniforms that their nine player selections would wear. Among those numbers, receiver Michael Wilson, drafted in the third round, received No. 13 and cornerback Kei’Trel Clark, drafted in the sixth round, received No. 26.

Both have changed.

With the signing of punter Matt Haack, the Cardinals have apparently moved on from Andy Lee, who was their punter for the last seven seasons. He wore No. 14 for the last two years.

The team roster now shows Wilson having No. 14. He wore No. 4 while playing at Stanford collegiately.

Clark now has the No. 13 that Wilson vacated instead of No. 26. Clark wore No. 13 for Louisville, where he played in college.

If there was any doubt as to whether Lee would return, now we know it is highly unlikely.

The Cardinals have a new punter, Clark gets his old college number and Wilson has a number more like the one he wore in college.

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14 days till the Cardinals’ 2022 season opener vs. Chiefs

Check out the players who have worn No. 14 for the Cardinals over the years.

The Arizona Cardinals have finished their preseason schedule. They now wait for the start of the regular season, which begins in two weeks.

There are now only 14 days until the Cardinals take the field at State Farm Stadium to face the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1.

Punter Andy Lee wears No. 14 for the Cardinals. He and other players who have worn No. 14 over the years are below.

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Andy Lee’s contract is half guaranteed

The Cardinals re-signed Lee to a one-year deal. He has been the Cardinals’ punter since 2017.

The Arizona Cardinals brought back punter Andy Lee on a one-year contract. It will be his sixth season with the Cardinals.

His contract is straightforward. There is no signing bonus, no roster bonus but there are guarantees.

The contract numbers are out and it is a basic one-year, $1.5 million deal. It is the same salary he made in 2021.

Half of his salary, $750,000, is guaranteed, which is more than the $650,000 that was guaranteed last season.

His contract, being a one-year deal with no bonus and no void years, counts $1.5 million against the salary cap.

But that is the extent of the deal. It is a simple deal. The guaranteed salary makes it such that it will be highly unlikely the Cardinals move on from him.

Lee averaged 49.0 yards on 51 punts last season. It was his highest average since joining the Cardinals in 2017.

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Cardinals bring back P Andy Lee, LS Aaron Brewer for another season

Lee returns for his 19th NFL season and sixth with Arizona. Brewer enters his 11th season and seventh in Arizona.

The Arizona Cardinals will have the same special teams trio they did in 2021. In the offseason theme of getting the team back together, the team announced the return of long snapper Aaron Brewer and punter Andy Lee. They were both free agents. Brewer signed a one-year deal and Lee agreed to a one-year contract.

This will be Brewer’s 11th season in the NFL and seventh with the Cardinals.

Lee returns for his 19th season and sixth with the Cardinals. He averaged 49.0 yards per punt a season ago.

Lee also is holder on kicks. When Lee and Brewer were in the lineup, kicker Matt Prater was automatic. When either Lee or Brewer missed games, the kicking game was a mess.

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P Andy Lee activated from COVID list; Tanner Vallejo, Zeke Turner designated to return from IR

Lee returns after missing one game, while Zeke Turner and Tanner Vallejo return to practice from injured reserve.

The Arizona Cardinals announced some roster moves on Wednesday. The first is fantastic news.

Punter Andy Lee, who missed the game against the Indianapolis Colts when he tested positive for COVID-19, was activated from the list and reinstated to the active roster. Punter Ryan Winslow, signed to the practice squad last week and elevated to play  in the game, was released.

Lee’s return will be huge for the kicking game. Kicker Matt Prater missed two field goals and an extra point on Saturday, partly because of issues with the hold.

Prater has missed seven field goals and two extra points all season. Four of the missed field goals and both missed extra points were when he was missing either long snapper Aaron Brewer or Lee as the holder.

The Cardinals also designated linebackers Tanner Vallejo and Zeke Turner from injured reserve.

Turner has been out since Week 5 with a shoulder injury. He is an ace on special teams.

Vallejo has been out since Week 10 with a knee injury. He had replaced rookie Zaven Collins in the starting lineup before he got hurt.

They now can return to practice and must be activated from IR within 21 days or revert to IR for the rest of the season.

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Cardinals P Andy Lee lands on COVID list after positive test for virus

The punting and kicking game could be impacted for the Cardinals in their game against the Colts if he is not activated by Saturday.

The Arizona Cardinals might need a new punter this weekend against the Indianapolis Colts. Their regular punter, Andy Lee, has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been placed on the COVID list.

He was one of 33 players around the league to test positive and land on the list.

Based on new league protocols, there is the possibility he could be activated before the game on Saturday, but that depends on the circumstances of his positive test.

Either way, the Cardinals will need to sign a punter Thursday. No punter visits or tryouts appeared on the NFL transaction list for the Cardinals.

If Lee is unable to go, it could impact both the punting and kicking game, as Lee also serves as the team’s holder for field goals.

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Cardinals, 49ers share 5 player connections in Week 5

The Cardinals have two former 49ers players and the 49ers have three former Cardinals.

The Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers will face one another Sunday afternoon at State Farm Stadium in an important divisional matchup. The two teams face one another twice yearly and are quite familiar with one another.

They will be familiar with some players for more reasons than just facing them frequently.

Between the two teams, there are five players who used to play for the other.

The Cardinals have two former 49ers players, while the 49ers have three former Cardinals.

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Cardinals P Andy Lee gives up No. 4 to rookie WR Rondale Moore

Rookie WR Rondale Moore becomes the first receiver in Cardinals history to wear a single-digit number.

Arizona Cardinals rookie receiver Rondale Moore has a new number. After starting his career this offseason and preseason with No. 85, he has his old college number back.

He now wears No. 4, which he wore in his time at Purdue.

He is able to do that, thanks to punter Andy Lee, who now wears No. 14, which was vacated last week when receiver JoJo Ward was released.

This is actually pretty significant. Lee has worn No. 4 for almost his entire career. he had it for 11 years while a member of the San Francisco 49ers and then, after two years wearing No. 8 and a pair of years wearing No. 2 for the Cardinals, he got No. 4 back in 2019.

He had never worn No. 14 in the NFL. It was presumed that Moore would take that number.

It is, of course, the first year that players other than offensive and defensive linemen can all wear single-digit numbers. No receiver in Cardinals history has had a single-digit number before.

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Andy Lee’s contract worth $1.5 million in 2021

Lee will make $1.5 million in 2021 with $650,000 of it fully guaranteed.

The Arizona Cardinals brought back Punter Andy Lee on a one-year deal in free agency. It will be his fifth season as the Cardinals’ punter.

His one-year deal apparently qualifies for the veteran cap exemption.

According to Over the Cap, Lee’s contract pays him $1.5 million. It does not appear he received a signing bonus, but $650,000 of his salary is fully guaranteed.

It appears the Cardinals get some slight cap relief for his contract. While the deal pays him $1.5 million, his cap hit counts only $1.075 million, which is the veteran minimum salary for his experience in the league.

Lee enters his 18th NFL season. He will be 39 years old this season. Last year, he averaged 44.8 yards per punt.

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