Cardinals Sign New Kicker to Practice Squad After Cutting Matt Ammendola

Updated: Sep 10, 5:00pm UTC

One of the many problems plaguing the Arizona Cardinals right now is their kicking situation. Reliable veteran Matt Prater has been sidelined with a hip injury, leading the team to sign Matt Ammendola. However, Ammendola missed several important kicks while filling in, leading to his release after Week 6.

Now Arizona has brought in someone new to hopefully help out on special teams.

Former Indianapolis Colts kicker Rodrigo Blankenship has been added to the Cardinals' practice squad. With Arizona playing on a short week, Blankenship gives the team a fresh leg in case Prater isn't able to suit up again.

"Hot Rod" had an impressive rookie year for the Colts in 2020, converting 32-of-37 (86.5%) of his field goal tries and 43-of-45 PATs. Injuries limited him to just five appearances last season, though, putting his job in jeopardy. He then missed a game-winning field goal in Week 1 for Indianapolis, which prompted his release.

Hopefully Blankenship can fare much better than Ammendola. The later missed a game-tying FG attempt in Week 5 against the Philadelphia Eagles, and then hooked an extra point in Week 6. His continued struggles last Sunday caused Arizona to go for it on fourth down numerous times despite being in field goal range due to a lack of trust.

Thursday Night Football has proven to be a kicker fest this year, so Blankenship may be busy if he gets the start. The Cardinals enter this matchup against the New Orleans Saints as slim 1.5-point favorites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL odds.

Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

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