Arizona Cardinals camp preview: Special Teams

The Arizona Cardinals go into camp with a pretty good idea of how they will look with their specialty players

The kicking game has been an adventure the past few seasons for the Arizona Cardinals.  After moving on from Phil Dawson it appears they have settled on Zane Gonzalez.

Andy Lee has been one of the best punters in the NFL, now going into his 16th season.  He was great before he got to Arizona and has been great since arriving.  He does happen to have competition in camp this year, which is very interesting.

He will be pushed by a fellow University of Pittsburgh alum in Ryan Winslow.  You have to wonder why competition for punter but not kicker?  At least that’s the way it sits two weeks before camp.

Maybe the hope for Gonzalez, out of Arizona State University, is that no pressure in camp will keep him settled?  However that could also be a dangerous thing. The Cardinals hardly have room to be complacent in the kicking game.

Lee should win the punting competition but you never know.  That’s why they have a training camp and preseason.

The long snapper will again be Aaron Brewer, save for any injury.  He has settled in as the Cardinals long snapper after huge issues arose a few seasons ago at the position.

The one are that will likely take preseason to determine will be who the return men will be.  Pharoh Cooper, T.J. Logan, Christian Kirk, and Brandon Williams all are likely to compete.  For Cooper and Williams, it could mean making the team or not.

The Cardinals need strong special teams performances all around this season. Field position will be huge for the offense and when they struggle in the red zone, they need a strong kicking game.  It certainly will be one of the more interesting areas to watch this preseason.