Rookie Punter Cody Mandell Pushing for a Job

Mandell was second-team All-SEC last year at Alabama

Former Alabama punter Cody Mandell is just getting used to life in the NFL, but he’s impressed the staff and even the front office thus far. He’ll have to keep it up if he’s going to win the job from Chris Jones, who has done a fine job in three seasons with the team.

Jones was the only Cowboys punter to hit the center-hanging JerryTron at AT&T Stadium until Mandell did it on the last day of minicamp--he did it three times, but head coach Jason Garrett said afterward that it was hanging lower than its normal 90 feet, moved to accommodate George Strait’s farewell concert.

“It’s hard. It’s hard for anybody at our position--specialists--to be coming in, taking the job right away,” said Cowboys long snapper LP Ladouceur, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I didn’t get it as well. I had to wait a little bit. It’s just a hard deal, but he’s got to work hard. You never know.”

In his final season at Alabama, the former walk-on averaged just more than 47 yards per punt, and was named second-team All-SEC.

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