Nolan Cooney

Last updated

Nolan Cooney
Personal information
Born: (1996-09-18) September 18, 1996 (age 27)
Warwick, Rhode Island, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:202 lb (92 kg)
Career information
High school: East Greenwich (RI)
College: Syracuse
Position: Punter
Undrafted: 2021
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 4, 2023
Punts:13
Punting yards:592
Punting average:45.5
Longest punt:56
Inside 20:2
Player stats at PFR

Nolan Joseph Cooney (born September 18, 1996) is an American professional football punter who is a free agent. He played college football at Syracuse and has been a member of the New Orleans Saints, Arizona Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts.

Contents

Early life and education

Cooney was born on September 18, 1996. [1] He grew up in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, and attended East Greenwich High School. [2] There, he played basketball, baseball and soccer. [3] He played goalkeeper in soccer and that gave him the idea to play football as a punter. [3] As a junior, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. [3] While undergoing chemotherapy treatment, Cooney watched YouTube videos about punters to learn more about how to play the position. [3] He recovered as a senior, but was unable to play football as his school did not allow one to play both football and soccer at the same time. [3] After graduating from there, he signed up for a postgraduate year at Bridgton Academy, where he played one season at punter. [3]

Cooney did not receive any scholarship offers after his season at Bridgton, but was given a chance to make the Syracuse University football team as a walk-on. [3] He made the team, but did not play in his first two years (2016, 2017). [2] He saw his first collegiate action in 2018, serving as the holder for field goals and extra points. [2] Cooney continued in this role for the 2019 season, his junior year. [2]

As a fifth-year senior in 2020, Cooney received his first action as Syracuse punter. [4] He recorded 74 punts averaging 44.8 yards, leading all of the FBS, and had 24 kicks downed inside the 20 compared to just three touchbacks. [4] Cooney was an honorable mention All-American according to Pro Football Focus (PFF) and was a third-team all-conference selection. [2] He was also named the winner of the Brian Piccolo Award, given to those the "most courageous player in the league," for overcoming his battle with cancer in high school. [2]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span
6 ft 2+1⁄4 in
(1.89 m)		195 lb
(88 kg)		31+3⁄4 in
(0.81 m)		9+1⁄4 in
(0.23 m)
All values from Pro Day [5]

New Orleans Saints

After going unselected in the 2021 NFL draft, Cooney was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent. [4] [6] He was waived during the roster cuts period in August. [7]

Arizona Cardinals

In January 2022, after spending the entirety of the 2021 season as a free agent, Cooney was signed to a future contract by the Arizona Cardinals. [8] He was released on August 23. [9]

Indianapolis Colts

Shortly after being released by Arizona, Cooney had a tryout with the Indianapolis Colts. [10] Although not signed at first, Cooney was brought to the Colts' practice squad on October 25, 2022, following a poor performance by the team's punter Matt Haack. [11] After Haack performed better in the following game, Cooney was released on October 31. [12]

Arizona Cardinals (second stint)

After Andy Lee was ruled questionable with an illness in Week 9, Cooney was re-signed by the Arizona Cardinals on November 5 to the practice squad and elevated to the active roster for their match with the Seattle Seahawks. [13] He was released on November 9. [14] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 11, 2023. [15] He made the final roster by winning the position battle over Matt Haack. [16] On October 3, after four games played, in which he recorded a total of 13 punts for 592 yards (a 45.5 average), he was released in favor of Blake Gillikin. [17] [18] [19]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On August 12, 2024, Cooney signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. [20] He was waived on August 27. [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rashad Johnson</span> American football player (born 1986)

Julian Rashad Johnson is a former American football safety. He was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2009 NFL draft. He played college football at Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Hughes (American football)</span> American football player (born 1989)

Robert Hughes is a former American football fullback. He played college football for University of Notre Dame, where he ran for 1,392 yards on 321 attempts, as well as catching 43 passes for 370 yards. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as undrafted free agent in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. R. Sweezy</span> American football player (born 1989)

Justin Ross "J. R." Sweezy is a former American football guard. He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round, 225th overall, of the 2012 NFL draft. He played college football at NC State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kerwynn Williams</span> American football player (born 1991)

Kerwynn Arthur Logan Williams is a former American football running back. He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL draft. He played college football at Utah State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcus Williams (cornerback)</span> American football player (born 1991)

Marcus Jeffrey Williams is a former American football cornerback. He was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2014. He played college football at North Dakota State University. He was also a member of the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Chicago Bears.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulrick John</span> American football player (born 1992)

Ulrick Tremayne John Jr. is a former American football offensive tackle. He played college football at Georgia State, and was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, and New Orleans Saints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Hamilton</span> American football player (born 1993)

Antonio Hamilton Sr. is an American professional football cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Carolina State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chad Williams (wide receiver)</span> American football player (born 1994)

Chad Williams is an American professional football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football for the Grambling State Tigers. He was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft. He has also played for the Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Breakers and Arlington Renegades.

T. J. Logan is an American professional football running back. He was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL draft. He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Matthew Scott Haack is an American football punter who is a free agent. He played college football at Arizona State. He played his first four seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Miami Dolphins, who signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2017. Haack later spent one season with the Buffalo Bills before joining the Indianapolis Colts in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krishawn Hogan</span> American football player (born 1995)

Krishawn Hogan is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Marian University.

Justin Murray is a former American football offensive tackle. Murray played high school football at Sycamore High School in Cincinnati. While in high school, Murray set the Greater Miami Conference shot put record at 59'06.5". He played college football at Cincinnati, and was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Murray has also been a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints, Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, and Cleveland Browns.

Elliott Goering Fry is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. He played college football at South Carolina. He has played for the Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals, and the Alliance of American Football (AAF)'s Orlando Apollos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Winslow</span> American football player (born 1994)

Ryan Henry Winslow is an American former professional football punter. He played college football at Pittsburgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blake Gillikin</span> American football player (born 1998)

Blake Thomas Gillikin is an American professional football punter for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Penn State.

Blake Lynch is an American professional football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Baylor, and has previously played in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Chargers.

Javon Hagan is an American football safety who is currently a free agent. After playing college football at Ohio, he signed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koda Martin</span> American football player (born 1995)

Dakoda Kirk Martin is an American football offensive guard who is a free agent. He played college football for Texas A&M and Syracuse and was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Los Angeles Chargers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Wells (American football)</span> American football player (born 1995)

David Edward Wells is an American professional football tight end who is a free agent. He played college football at San Diego State.

Emmanuel Jones is an American football defensive tackle who is a free agent. He played college football at Colorado State and was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2022.

References

  1. ↑ "Nolan Cooney". ESPN.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Nolan Cooney". Syracuse Orange.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 McManaman, Bob (May 19, 2022). "Cards give punter Cooney another shot". Arizona Republic . p. B1, B7 – via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  4. 1 2 3 Moriello, John (May 17, 2021). "Saints Rookie Nolan Cooney Overcame Cancer and Learned to Punt by Watching YouTube". Sportscasting.com .
  5. ↑ "2021 NFL Draft Scout Nolan Cooney College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  6. ↑ Triplett, Mike (May 15, 2021). "Saints rookie Nolan Cooney overcame cancer, then learned to punt with help from YouTube". ESPN.
  7. ↑ "New Orleans Saints announce roster moves". New Orleans Saints. August 24, 2021.
  8. ↑ McNamara, Elizabeth (January 28, 2022). "Cooney Signs w/Arizona Cardinals". East Greenwich News .
  9. ↑ Alper, Josh (August 23, 2022). "Cardinals announce five cuts". ProFootballTalk . NBC Sports.
  10. ↑ Bouda, Nate (August 26, 2022). "Colts Tried Out Four Players". NFLTradeRumors.co.
  11. ↑ Erickson, Nolan A. (October 25, 2022). "Colts add punter Nolan Cooney after Matt Haack's ugly day in Tennessee". The Indianapolis Star .
  12. ↑ Hickey, Kevin (October 31, 2022). "Colts activate S Trevor Denbow from IR". USA Today .
  13. ↑ Rice, Wills (November 5, 2022). "Cardinals sign punter Nolan Cooney, release offensive lineman Koda Martin". ArizonaSports.com.
  14. ↑ Urban, Darren (November 9, 2022). "Cardinals Open Practice Window For Charles Washington". Arizona Cardinals.
  15. ↑ Urban, Darren (January 11, 2023). "Bernhard Seikovits Among 14 'Futures' Cardinals Sign For 2023". AZCardinals.com.
  16. ↑ Root, Jess (August 21, 2023). "Nolan Cooney wins punting job as Cardinals cut Matt Haack". USA Today .
  17. ↑ "Nolan Cooney Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com .
  18. ↑ Root, Jess (October 3, 2023). "Cardinals make change at punter, release Nolan Cooney". USA Today .
  19. ↑ "Cardinals Make Roster Change At Punter". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  20. ↑ Smith, Scott (August 11, 2024). "Bucs Add Former Cardinals Punter Nolan Cooney". Buccaneers.com.
  21. ↑ Smith, Scott (August 27, 2024). "Bucs Cut Down to 53, Place Chase Edmonds, Rakim Jarrett on IR". Buccaneers.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.