Arizona Cardinals sign 2nd punter for Monday night
By Phil Watson
The Arizona Cardinals, with regular punter Dave Zastodil listed as questionable with a groin injury, signed punter Drew Butler on Monday in advance of their season opener against the San Diego Chargers.
Butler, 25, was cut by the Detroit Lions on Aug. 25 as part of their cutdown to 70 players.
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Butler spent one season in the NFL, punting for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2012, averaging 43.8 yards per punt. He also had the NFL’s longest punt of the 2012 season, a 79-yarder against the Chargers in December 2012.
Butler was cut by the Steelers before the beginning of last season when they signed Zoltan Mesko. He signed a future/reserve contract with the Chicago Bears last New Year’s Eve, but was waived on May 18 and signed with the Lions on July 25.
He was the Ray Guy Award winner as the nation’s best punter in 2009 as a sophomore at the University of Georgia and is the son of longtime former Chicago kicker Kevin Butler.
Zastodil, 35, is entering his fourth season with the Cardinals and averaged 45.7 yards per punt last season.
He was a fourth-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2002 and punted for them for four seasons before spending four years with the Cleveland Browns.