Patriots kickoff 2016: A look at Joe Cardona
The New England Patriots kickoff 2016 in 49 days. Join us as we profile the owner of the No. 49 jersey, long snapper Joe Cardona.
Size: 6-foot-2, 242 pounds
College: Navy
2015 stats: Three tackles (16 games)
NFL experience: One season
The No. 166 pick of the 2015 NFL Draft appeared in all 16 regular season games for the Patriots as a rookie, accomplishing the task of long snapping week in and week out. It’s not easy to stick around at such a high-pressure position on a Bill Belichick-coached team; Cardona proved as a rookie that he is a fine long snapper.
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For a little while this offseason, there was some doubt as to whether or not Cardona would be able to suit up for the Patriots in 2016. His prior commitment to the Navy put Cardona’s status for the upcoming season in unsure territory, but he has since been cleared to play. As a result, the Patriots cut ties with long snapper Christian Yount, who they signed as insurance against Cardona missing the season.
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Cardona has already proven to be one of the better long snappers in the NFL. At a position where “do your job” is about as literal as it gets, Cardona gets the job done every time the Patriots are forced to punt. Ryan Allen is as thankful as anyone that Cardona does such a solid job at snapping the ball in punting situations.
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Perhaps the most special teams-aware head coach in the NFL, BIll Belichick evidently has full faith in Cardona succeeding on a weekly basis for the foreseeable future. There’s no reason to think that unless the Navy comes calling, Cardona will be the Patriots’ long snapper for quite some time.
Next: 10 Most Exciting Sophomore Pros on Pats Roster
Be sure to stop by Musket Fire on tomorrow morning as we count down 48 days until kickoff by profiling the owner of the No. 48, rookie linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill.