Cowboys’ John Fassel willing to consider ‘anybody else on earth’ for kicker… even Brett Maher
Several positions for the Cowboys stand to see some interesting battles at this summer’s training camp. In key areas like cornerback, offensive line, tight end, linebacker, and wide receiver, there are more players than available starting spots, meaning every practice rep will be a competition.
Except at perhaps the diciest position of them all for Dallas. But John Fassel promises that will change.
The Cowboys special teams coordinator spoke with reporters over the weekend about the situation at kicker, a spot that’s needed addressing since Brett Maher had a legendarily bad performance in last season’s playoffs.
Tristan Vizcaino was brought in as an insurance policy after Maher missed a league-record four PATs in the Cowboys’ wild-card win over Tampa Bay. Maher kept the gig the following week at San Francisco, but had another shaky-looking extra-point attempt blocked.
Now as voluntary workouts for the 2023 season begin, Vizcaino- who has kicked a total of 11 field goals (out of 12 attempts) and 15 PATs (out of 20 tries) over four pro seasons- is the only kicker in the building.
For now.
“We have Tristan on the roster. Anybody else on earth who is not on the team right now is under consideration,” Fassel said at the conclusion of rookie minicamp on Saturday. “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.”
Dallas chose not to spend a draft pick on a highly-touted kicking prospect like Michigan’s Jake Moody or Maryland’s Chad Ryland. They also have not called in anybody from Fassel’s personal list of specialists who he’s been tracking. To some, that means the Cowboys seem likely to call on someone with experience.
“It’s probably the easier way [to go] because you know what you’re going to get,” Fassel admitted. “There’s veterans on the street right now. Let’s face it, there’s Mason [Crosby], there’s Robbie [Gould], there’s [Ryan] Succup. There’s a lot of guys that have performed in the NFL, and you weigh that against everything else. There’s really no secrets of who’s available. 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.”
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But in turning over every possible stone, Fassel also explains he’s open to welcoming back the man the fanbase called “Money” not so long ago.
Despite his apparent epic case of the yips in the postseason, Maher is still the league’s all-time leader in successful field goals from 60 yards or more, and he does hold a career field goal percentage of 81.0% (just better than Jason Elam, David Akers, and Sebastian Janikowski) and a PAT make rate of 95.5%.
“I think everything is on the table,” Fassel said of a possible reunion with Maher. “Let’s face it, if you look at Brett, he had a great year. He had a bad game. He played 22 games, 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.”
