The Arizona Cardinals are signing kicker Mike Nugent to their practice squad after bringing him in for a tryout earlier this week.
Cardinals signed K Mike Nugent to the practice squad.
— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) September 18, 2020
Nugent, a 15-year veteran, played for the Cardinals back in 2009 after Neil Rackers went down with an injury. He converted both of his field goal attempts along with all eight of his extra points.
He has played for the Bengals, Bears, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Cowboys, Jets, Raiders, and most recently the Patriots.
Nugent was a second-round pick of the New York Jets back in 2005 but is best known for his time with the Bengals (2010-16), where he was their kicker for seven seasons. In his time in the NFL, he has converted 258 of 319 (80.9 percent) field goal attempts.
The Cardinals current kicker Zane Gonzalez struggled in the Week 1 win against the 49ers having missed two of three field goals to start the year. He did, however, convert a 56-yard field goal which is now the longest of his career.
Kliff Kingsbury has expressed his confidence and comfort in the 25-year-old kicker. If anything, the signing of Nugent to the practice squad is just a backup option to Gonzalez in case of COVID.
With the expanded practice squad and the new rules that come along with it, having a reliable backup should prove beneficial for the Cardinals in the long run. The move should only motivate Gonzalez to further step up his game.