Change at placekicker could be coming for Arizona Cardinals

A couple of shaky outings out of Zane Gonzalez could persuade the Arizona Cardinals to go on the hunt for a new placekicker

This past Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals found themselves down by three points to the Miami Dolphins with less than two minutes to go. Instead of going for it on a fourth down and one, Cards head coach Kliff Kingsbury elected to send the field-goal unit onto the field. Placekicker Zane Gonzalez would be attempting a 49-yard kick that would potentially send the hard-fought contest into overtime.

As we all know by now, Gonzalez botched the attempt. It was the second consecutive game that the fourth-year pro had choked when the pressure was on. Could Kingsbury and the Cardinals be losing patience with the 25-year old Gonzalez?

In all fairness, Gonzalez did redeem himself during Arizona’s win over the Seattle Seahawks back on October 25th. After missing a 41-yard field goal try in overtime that would’ve ended the contest, the former Arizona State University product got a reprieve. Just a couple of minutes after the shank, Gonzalez booted a 48-yarder through the uprights that gave the Cards a 37-34 win.

Despite the happy ending to the Seahawks matchup, it would not be surprising to learn that the organization is losing confidence in Gonzalez. Back in September, the Cardinals front office added an insurance policy for the position to the practice squad. A kicker that is more than capable of stepping in for the struggling Gonzalez if the franchise needs him to.

Mike Nugent, a former second-round draft pick of the New York Jets, is the player waiting in the wings for Arizona. The 38-year old has appeared in 168 NFL games for eight different organizations. Nugent has connected on 258 of 319 field-goal tries and 378 of 393 extra-point attempts during his 15 campaigns in the league.

There are a couple of interesting names on the free agent market as well. Stephen Hauschka is a 35-year old who has kicked for the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars. Chandler Catanzaro is a 29-year old former member of the Cards who has also suited up for the Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers.

If the Cardinals intend to contend for a playoff spot this season, they’re going to need a reliable placekicker. Whether Gonzalez is that guy or not remains to be seen. They’re are a few interesting candidates who would love nothing more than a chance to replace him.