The Dallas Cowboys have one kicker on their roster heading into summer training, but are looking for a more sure-legged option following last year’s special teams woes.
“We have Tristan [Vizcaino] on the roster. Anybody else on Earth who is not on the team right now, is under consideration,” Cowboys special teams coach John Fassel said, via the team’s website. “That’s everyone really. I think we have a lot of different guys that we’re still looking at — XFL, USFL, veterans on the street, younger guys who still haven’t found their way.”
Fassel said the easiest way to go is to snag a proven veteran from free agency. Mason Crosby, Ryan Succup and Robbie Gould are the only three well-known kickers that are on the market this offseason. Still, Fassel isn’t jumping the gun on signing a new kicker already and is in the process of evaluating the best fit.
The search could last all the way until training camp. Fassel isn’t ruling anything out — including bringing back 2022’s starter, Brett Maher. He rounded out last year having missed five of six extra point attempts during Dallas’ playoff run.
“I think everything is on the table,” Fassel said. “Let’s face it, if you look at Brett, he had a great year. He had a bad game. But he played 22 game, but he had a bad game-and-a-half. I think everyone’s on the table. I’m proud of what Brett did here. If he gets a shot here or somewhere else, I’m sure he’ll perform well.”
Maher was not a bad kicker last season
Maher made nearly 91 percent of his field goal attempts and was perfect on kicks within 40 yards. During the regular season, extra points were rarely a problem as he ended up making 50 of 53 attempts before the playoffs — including two which were blocked.
Still, Maher has yet to recover from his playoff performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January. His awful game didn’t have any severe consequences on the game, as all four misses came during Dallas’ 24-0 start to the game and ended up defeating the Bucs in the final game of Tom Brady’s career 31-14.
Regardless of the outcome, Maher became the first player since 1932 to miss four extra points in an NFL game, regular season or playoffs. In a league where the kicker position is as cut-throat as it is, owning a record like that isn’t a reputation anyone wants for the rest of their career.
