Cowboys frantically casting wide net for kicking depth

Cowboys special teams coordinator John Fassel. Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Cowboys frantically casting wide net in search for kicking depth

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 5/15/23

Most special teams coordinators would be pleased to have a kicker with a career field goal percentage of 91.1.

But the issue with Dallas Cowboys kicker Tristan Vizcaino is he’s only attempted 12 field goals in his three-year career, and he’s the only kicker on the Cowboys roster. This is why a bit of desperation could be heard in special teams coordinator John Fassel’s voice over the weekend as he spoke to reporters about the team’s kicking situation as rookie minicamp come to a close.

“Anybody else on Earth who is not on the team right now is under consideration,” Fassel acknowledged. “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 a way.”

The Cowboys moved on from 33-year-old Brett Maher, the team’s starting kicker last year. Maher made 29 of his 32 attempts during the regular season (90.6 percent), but he missed four extra-point attempts in Dallas’ wild-card win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and he missed another PAT in a divisional round loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Brett Maher’s FOURTH missed extra point tonight pic.twitter.com/LVtJHjeVWh
— PFF (@PFF) January 17, 2023

However, Fassel didn’t entirely rule out the possibility of a reunion with Maher, should it come to that.

“I think everything’s on the table,” he said. “Let’s face it, if you look at Brett, he had a great year. He had a bad game. But he played 22 games; he had a bad game and a half. I think everybody’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.”

Seven kickers have signed deals with new clubs since the start of free agency in March. Maher is one of a handful of kickers who played last season that are still available. A few others Fassel mentioned by name including Mason Crosby, Robbie Gould and Ryan Succop as potential options to compete by the time the Cowboys begin training camp.

“There's a lot of guys that have performed at a good level in the NFL, and you weigh that against everything else,” Fassel said. “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."

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