Kicker?

[MadCardDisease]

Just keep him on IR for the year. Or release him if that's what he wants. Either way he's getting paid and can ride off into the sunset with his retirement money. Or try and catch on with another team.

You have to keep him on IR unless the Cards need him due to injury. Then let him enter FA and sign with another team so that he counts towards a Compensation Pick.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Also he may have been resigned to his career being dead and this is all a bonus for him. He's wasn't even on a PS, he was signed off the street.

As I said, hard to say, but he has more bad than good in the league so far in his career and the team should be cautious moving off a proven commodity like Prater.

Prater would also have made all these FG's BTW.

Prater had a gimme game winning attempt last year and missed it from inside 40 yards so we’ve seen him have a chance at all these type of kicks and he failed.

You earlier just said we can get lulled into a false sense of security with a kicker like Zane Gonzalez nailing kicks when they don’t matter. Uh… that’s what Prater’s done the last two years in a no pressure job. Previous to us, he was 30/37 and 21/28. And again, in one of his only chances for a deciding kick in the last two years, he ished the bed.

The idea that Wyland might be kicking carefree… while being a young guy kicking for his career, coming to a woeful franchise, and carrying both of those burdens and nailing three straight game winners… makes no sense to me whatsoever.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I don't consider making extra points - which is what these field goals have been equivalent too - and every kicker makes over 90% of to be all that impressive.

I just don't feel I have enough info to make this call.

This idea that game winning field goals are in any way the same thing as extra points is mind-boggling. Especially with this franchise that has regularly seen our FG kickers miss these kind of “gimme” game winners over and over and over again throughout our history… even INCLUDING PRATER LAST SEASON.

 

[Chopper0080]

I probably just cut Prater once he gets back. He will be a FA after the season. Let him see if he can get on somewhere else for the rest of the year. See how Ryland holds up.

 

[BullheadCardFan]

Especially with this franchise that has regularly seen our FG kickers miss these kind of “gimme” game winners over and over and over again throughout our history… even INCLUDING PRATER LAST SEASON.

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[oaken1]

He also made a 57 yarder yesterday. Prater missed the last time he had a game winning kick. Not keeping this kid over an often injured 40 year old would be beyond foolish.

Prater missed two kicks in the final game last season.
Much speculation it was done intentionally to protect our draft position and get Marvin.
Many hailed him as a hero for missing those kicks.

Lets not try to paint him as anything other than an excellent kicker just to make a point. His career proves his worth.
But that does not mean switching to a younger guy is not best for the team at this point.

 

[PJ1]

Prater missed two kicks in the final game last season.
Much speculation it was done intentionally to protect our draft position and get Marvin.
Many hailed him as a hero for missing those kicks.

Lets not try to paint him as anything other than an excellent kicker just to make a point. His career proves his worth.
But that does not mean switching to a younger guy is not best for the team at this point.

Well I wasn’t one of them who hailed him as a hero. I think he was great for us. It is time to move on though.

 

[Card'em]

Also keep in mind that Prater's last 2 year deal average $3,750,000 per year, so signing Ryland will definitely be a cap savings for next year.

 

[TheCardFan]

Derrick Henry makes $8M
James Conner $7M

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[Dback Jon]

Also keep in mind that Prater's last 2 year deal average $3,750,000 per year, so signing Ryland will definitely be a cap savings for next year.

Let's Go Cap Space!

 

[WisconsinCard]

I'm dubious about crowning kickers. I'm pretty sure there are some "We found a kicker" posts about Zane Gonzalez from 2019 when he finished the 8th best kicker in the league.

Prater has a long and proven career. Ryland may just be benefitting from the psychological boost of not being the guy so can play pressure free. Or he may have found his groove. Hard to say.

He was the worst full time kicker in league last year by some distance. Joey Slye made 79.2% of kicks in 2nd to last place, Ryland made 64%.

I'd be wary about moving on from a proven vet just yet. Keep him on the PS, if anyone tries to claim him they can move him up. Or chances are if he goes elsewhere it would only be temporary and we can bring him back later.

Sometimes it a matter of timing. Have a good snapper, holder, and kicker goes into that equation.

Maybe just maybe he has found his stroke because of the chemistry between Gilligan and Brewer (Skipper)?

 

[AZ Native]

Let's Go Cap Space!

We have 109 million cap space next year. We haven’t spent all our cap space this year. Moving on money wise is a prudent move. I just hope it doesn’t come back to bite us in the a$$.

 

[Dback Jon]

We have 109 million cap space next year. We haven’t spent all our cap space this year. Moving on money wise is a prudent move. I just hope it doesn’t come back to bite us in the a$$.

I’m agreeing with you. I just think it’s funny to make the argument safe cap space when we don’t even use what we have

 

[Shane]

I’m agreeing with you. I just think it’s funny to make the argument safe cap space when we don’t even use what we have

But were going to

 

[PDXChris]

I'm pretty sure our most clutch player the last few weeks is still a virgin.

Not there is anything wrong with that!

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[Stout]

But were going to

Swear to God, the first time I read an excuse why it's smart not to use all our cap space next offseason, I'm burning this board down

A mention of rolling it over for 2026 will be a nuclear meltdown

 

[Redsz]

That 57 yard kick was no joke. Dude has been on fire.

 

[BritCard]

Prater had a gimme game winning attempt last year and missed it from inside 40 yards so we’ve seen him have a chance at all these type of kicks and he failed.

You earlier just said we can get lulled into a false sense of security with a kicker like Zane Gonzalez nailing kicks when they don’t matter. Uh… that’s what Prater’s done the last two years in a no pressure job. Previous to us, he was 30/37 and 21/28. And again, in one of his only chances for a deciding kick in the last two years, he ished the bed.

The idea that Wyland might be kicking carefree… while being a young guy kicking for his career, coming to a woeful franchise, and carrying both of those burdens and nailing three straight game winners… makes no sense to me whatsoever.

Prater has made a bunch of game winning field goals for us. Just ones I can remember.

In '21 he kicked game tying and game winning FG's against the Cowboys. Last year against the Falcons. The truth is these kind of kicks are rare, this Cards team just happens to be in a place when they are bad enough to be behind all game but good enough to come back and pinch a win. He's also one of the best distance kickers in the game.

I don't really care, it's a kicker, all I'm saying is keep both for now as it's unlikely that Ryland has gone from worst kicker in the league to one of the best in a single season.

Odds are Prater retires after this season and someone with a career like Prater deserves to go out on their own terms.

 

[BritCard]

Sometimes it a matter of timing. Have a good snapper, holder, and kicker goes into that equation.

Maybe just maybe he has found his stroke because of the chemistry between Gilligan and Brewer (Skipper)?

Maybe he has, but also maybe he's just on a hot streak. No harm in keeping both around to find out.

 

[gimpy]

He must have been a pretty good kicker in college since he was actually drafted (4th round if I remember correctly someone saying?). Most kickers aren't drafted, or are they?
Although, I must say, I was always on the edge of my seat on those game winners, halfway expecting a miss. Good pickup so far.

 

[cardpa]

I'm dubious about crowning kickers. I'm pretty sure there are some "We found a kicker" posts about Zane Gonzalez from 2019 when he finished the 8th best kicker in the league.

Prater has a long and proven career. Ryland may just be benefitting from the psychological boost of not being the guy so can play pressure free. Or he may have found his groove. Hard to say.

He was the worst full time kicker in league last year by some distance. Joey Slye made 79.2% of kicks in 2nd to last place, Ryland made 64%.

I'd be wary about moving on from a proven vet just yet. Keep him on the PS, if anyone tries to claim him they can move him up. Or chances are if he goes elsewhere it would only be temporary and we can bring him back later.

I agree with BritCard, Ryland lost the kicking job in camp this year to Slye who wasn't exactly a top kicker in 2023. Ryland may just be on a hot streak career year type of situation and then may revert back to the 64% kicker. I highly doubt the Patriots decided to keep Slye over Ryland just because he stunk in 2023 if he was kicking lights out in camp this year especially after using a 4th round pick on him.

 

[Dback Jon]

I find it humorous that when players leave the Cardinals and then find success elsewhere we blame it on the Cardinals, but when the player sucks elsewhere, but then finds success with the Cardinals We still have to question whether it was just a fluke and he’s gonna revert back to the suckage

 

[CardNots]

He must have been a pretty good kicker in college since he was actually drafted (4th round if I remember correctly someone saying?). Most kickers aren't drafted, or are they?
Although, I must say, I was always on the edge of my seat on those game winners, halfway expecting a miss. Good pickup so far.

I haven’t looked it up but there have been a few kickers and a punter or two drafted over my time.

Just doing a bit of research its hard to compare the current generation of kickers with previous generations. The percentage of kicks made has a much higher standard in today’s NFL.

So basically a crap shoot on today’s drafted kickers and punters.

Based on Prater’s age, injury history and cost we need to move on.

The interesting tidbit i ran across while researching as it was mentioned the value of kickers today is much less than the past. Seems to me the importance is the same or greater in some respects especially with the extra point conversion being of a greater distance.

Previous generations of kickers were far less accurate which surprised me as well.

 

[WisconsinCard]

Maybe he has, but also maybe he's just on a hot streak. No harm in keeping both around to find out.

Ok let me pose this question. Is Prater going to be around for a rebuild? At 40 years old and costing 4 mil a year is it reasonable to keep him on a rebuilding team?

Ok I guess that was two questions.

 

[BullheadCardFan]

I find it humorous that when players leave the Cardinals and then find success elsewhere we blame it on the Cardinals, but when the player sucks elsewhere, but then finds success with the Cardinals We still have to question whether it was just a fluke and he’s gonna revert back to the suckage

It's the way