Nolan Cooney

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]

After going unselected in the 2021 NFL Draft, Cooney was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent.[4][5] He was waived during the roster cuts period in August.[6] 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.[7] He was released on August 23.[8]

Shortly after being released by Arizona, Cooney had a tryout with the Indianapolis Colts.[9] Although not signed at first, Cooney was brought to the Colts' practice squad in late October, following a poor performance by the team's punter Matt Haack.[10] After Haack performed better in the following game, Cooney was released on October 31.[11]

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.[12] He was released on November 9.[13] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 11, 2023.[14]