Getty Greg Zuerlein kicks a field goal for the Dallas Cowboys.
The Dallas Cowboys have moved on from kicker Greg Zuerlein, and now the 34-year-old has a new team in the New York Jets.
Zuerlein completed two seasons in Dallas after eight impressive seasons with the Los Angeles Rams that included an All-Pro selection in 2017. However, the Nebraska-Omaha and Missouri Western State product didn’t replicate those performances as a Cowboy, and he was released by Dallas on March 11.
Just over two weeks later, New York has now announced that Zuerlein has joined the team ahead of the 2022 season.
OFFICIAL: Welcome to New York, Greg!
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The Jets’ senior reporter Eric Allen included a small breakdown of Zuerlein’s career, mentioning his famous “Greg the Leg” nickname and mentioning he was the first player in NFL history to convert two 58+ yard kicks in the same game. He was also the first to make a 50-yard field goal and a 60-yard field goal in the same game.
Dallas signed a potential replacement for Zuerlein back on February 4, Chris Naggar. Interestingly enough, the 24-year-old kicker’s NFL career started with the Jets, but only appeared in a regular-season game with the Cleveland Browns.
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Zuerlein Struggles with Cowboys
In his first season with Dallas, Zuerlein’s numbers pretty much met the standard he had set while in St. Louis and Los Angeles. As Pro Football Reference states, he made 82.9% of his field goal attempts, which is just above the 82% average he had achieved as a Ram.
However, two numbers tell the story of Zuerlein’s initial issues with the Cowboys: 50+ yard attempts and extra points. The 34-year-old made just three of nine 50+ yard attempts in 2020, while missing three PAT attempts.
Considering Zuerlein’s reputation and accolades centered around long kicks, that was a disappointing start. Unfortunately for both the kicker and the Cowboys, things didn’t get better in 2021.
He made just two of five 50+ yard attempts in 2021, but missed six PAT attempts. To put it in perspective, Zuerlein missed six extra-point attempts in eight seasons with the Rams, and missed a total of nine while in Dallas.
Basically, it didn’t go how he wanted or how owner Jerry Jones and Dallas wanted. Parting ways seemed inevitable once the 2021 season was over, and now Zuerlein finds himself on the Jets.
More on Cowboys’ New Kicker
In terms of hometown players, Naggar is as close as they come. Before reaching the NFL, Naggar played at Texas and at SMU, and the 24-year-old was actually born in Arlington, Texas.
While he only punted at Texas, he led kicking and punting duties as a Mustang. While at SMU, he made 17 of 21 field goal attempts and 43 of 46 PAT attempts.
After being signed and then released by the Jets and then being picked up by the Browns, Naggar made a singular appearance for Cleveland. He was successful on his only field goal attempt and went 1 of 2 on extra-point attempts, according to Pro Football Reference.
Naggar now arrives in Dallas with the chance to make the job his own, although it’d be surprising if the Cowboys didn’t sign or draft a kicker to at least compete with the Texas native.