Cardinals cut punter Matt Haack after Nolan Cooney’s big preseason game
Aug 21, 2023, 1:50 PM | Updated: 1:54 pm
Arizona Cardinals punter Matt Haack during a preseason loss against the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (Felisa Cardenas / Arizona Sports)
(Felisa Cardenas / Arizona Sports)
The Arizona Cardinals on Monday cut punter Matt Haack, re-signed running back Stevie Scott and waived offensive lineman Lachavious Simmons with an injury designation.
Most significantly, the moves leave only Nolan Cooney on the roster at punter. Considering his impressive preseason game in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday, it appears to be his starting job to lose.
Cooney averaged 54.3 yards across four attempts, including a 65-yard boot against the Chiefs. Two of those landed inside the 20-yard line.
Haack was the primary punter in Arizona’s preseason opener, booting it four times for a 42.3-yard average. He made one punt for 46 yards Saturday.
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In the punter competition, Haack had the edge in terms of NFL experience with 98 career games since coming out of ASU in 2016.
Cooney spent the 2022 preseason with Arizona and briefly joined the team in November with then-punter Andy Lee falling ill. He was released without making an appearance but re-signed to a futures deal in January.
Lee, 41, was the Cardinals’ starting punt since 2017. He did not re-sign with the team this offseason.
Scott was brought into camp after veteran running back Marlon Mack suffered an Achilles injury earlier this month, but Arizona released Scott after the 6-foot-2 back did not play in the preseason opener against the Denver Broncos.
Scott played in the USFL this past season after he bounced around the Broncos and Saints training camp rosters since going undrafted in 2021 out of Indiana.
Simmons signed with the Cardinals practice squad in September 2022 but spent most of the year on injured reserve. He was activated in December and signed a reserve/futures deal with Arizona in January.
