Cowboys coach says "anybody else on earth" could take problematic roster spot

15 May 2023 , 20:46

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Brett Maher was cut from the Cowboys after an historic struggle that continued in the playoffs

The Dallas Cowboys have not been able to find a reliable kicker in seven years, once again moving on from Brett Maher this past off-season.

After moving on from Greg Zuerlein in 2021, the Cowboys decided to bring back former kicker Maher, who they had already released two years prior - in a move that didn't exactly go to plan.

In their Wild Card round victory to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Tom Brady's last ever game - Maher missed a record four PAT's - something that has ever happened since the statistic first start being tracked in 1932. The Cowboys won that game, but lost the following week to the San Francisco 49ers, bringing an end to their season as Maher would not be re-signed.

It's been a position of problem since 2017, when long-time kicker Dan Bailey struggled and was cut from the team, before Maher and Zuerlein were not able to lock down the spot.

The Cowboys now head into the 2023 season with just one kicker on the roster, veteran Tristan Vizcaino - who they clearly do not feel too confident in.

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Speaking to the media, special teams coordinator Jim Fassel said: "Well, we've got Tristan on the roster. Anybody else on earth who is not on the team right now is under consideration.

"That's everybody really. That could be a lot of different guys that we're still looking at -- XFL, USFL, veterans on the street, younger guys who still haven't found a way."

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And although it feels like a desperate situation, it does appear that the Cowboys have a few players in mind on who they could bring in.

Fassel named three kickers by name who they could look at - all being some of the better kickers in the league in recent years.

He said: "There's veterans on the street right now -- let's face it, there's Mason Crosby, there's Robbie Gould, there's Ryan Succop. There's a lot of guys that have performed at a good level in the NFL, and you weigh that against everything else.

"There's really no secrets of who's available. I think the good thing for us at the kicker spot is just being patient and deciding who that second guy is we're going to bring in, whether it's now or training camp to compete against Tristan."

Charlie Wilson