Atlanta Falcons: Time to punt away Cameron Nizialek

The Atlanta Falcons have had an interesting ride at the punter position during Arthur Smith and Terry Fontenot’s first year.

It seemed as though Sterling Hofrichter would end up being given the job until he was injured during the offseason resulting in his cut. Then he cleared waivers, ended up on the Falcons injured reserve, and then was cut once more and is still currently a free agent.

This provided an opportunity for Dom Maggio and Cameron Nizialek in the preseason.

Looking at both of their play during the three preseason games, it was obvious that Nizialek would be the clear winner, and now here we are following week two and the Falcons will once again need to look for a new punter.

Cameron Nizialek just lost his job with the Falcons in the first two weeks.

Cameron Nizialek had a solid preseason for the Falcons, it gave hope to an overlooked position. He was able to boot an excellent 60-yard punt, as well as a 57-yard punt. That was certainly what Terry Fontenot and the special teams’ staff were looking for.

Then came week one against the Philadelphia Eagles. He continued to show his ability to punt the ball far down the field as he was able to hit a 62-yard punt. Much more promise for a young guy looking for a long career in the NFL.

It did not last long, however. During this past game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cameron Nizialek was simply awful.

He had two shanks that resulted in a 30-yard punt and a 33-yard punt.

The second shank was costly, as the Buccaneers got excellent field position off of the mistake and were able to score a touchdown soon after in what was an extremely critical point in the game.

Here we are again, looking for a punter and it is only week two for the Falcons.

Reports are is that the team will bring in some guys to work out and in all likelihood one of them will take Cameron’s job as the Falcons punter.

It is unfortunate for Nizialek. One game will likely cost him his job in the NFL, but that is life in the NFL. Hopefully, he will be able to rebound in the future, but for now, the Atlanta Falcons cannot afford any more mistakes like this on special teams.