5 things to watch for during the Cardinals 2021 preseason
By Kyler Burd
Does Prater still have it?
An unsung addition during the offseason was Matt Prater, formerly of the Denver Broncos and Detroit Lions. The holder of the NFL records for longest field goal (64 yards) and most 50 plus yard field goals (59), he was brought in to fix the kicking woes that besieged the Arizona Cardinals in 2020.
At 36, Prater is getting up there in age, and there are questions regarding the current strength of his leg and waning accuracy. Last season, he made 75 percent of his field-goal attempts, his second-lowest rate in 12 years. This includes 6/10 between 50-59 yards.
The hope is that the Cardinals will not be forced into such long kicking situations. However, it will be something to watch during the preseason. Will Arizona put Prater to the test and see if he still has the combination of range and accuracy that they were missing in Zane Gonzales last season?