Arizona Cardinals: Free agency grades
By Scott Allen
Phil Dawson
The 19-year kicker has found a new home at age 42. Kicking and punting are about the only two positions the age of 42 isn’t scary.
For Dawson, who spent the last five years with the San Francisco 49ers and the previous 14-seasons with the Cleveland Browns. The Cardinals are his third and likely last stop of his career.
Dawson replaces Chandler Catanzaro. Catanzaro was released and signed with the New York Jets. Dawson was 18-21 in field goal attempts last season. He was 33-34 with extra point made.
Catanzaro, who just completed his third season, went 21-28 in field goals and 43-47 in extra points last season. He’s missed nine extra points over the last two seasons since the NFL moved the try back to the 15-yard line.
In the end, picking up Dawson is likely going to be a winning move. Catanzaro was too inconsistent. He won two games and lost two games with field goal attempts in 2016. He has a strong leg but Dawson can also kick consistently beyond 50-yards.
The question will be how much will it affect kickoffs? Dawson had just four touchbacks last season.