Getty The Dallas Cowboys need to sign a kicker.
The Dallas Cowboys still have a giant void to fill at kicker, but the good news is there are several appealing veteran options who remain free agents. ESPN’s Field Yates created a list of one move each NFL team should make heading into training camp and is pushing Dallas to sign former All-Pro kicker Robbie Gould.
“This one feels about as straightforward as it gets: The Cowboys have a major need for an established presence at kicker and Gould is the best available right now,” Yates wrote on June 21, 2023. “While Brett Maher (currently unsigned) had a regular season full of critical long-distance kicks, he became the only kicker in NFL playoff history to miss four extra points in one game. Gould, on top of being the eighth-most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history, has never missed a postseason kick (extra point or field goal).”
Dallas has Tristan Vizcaino as the lone kicker on the roster but have hinted an additional move will happen in order to create a training camp competition at the position. Brett Maher remains a free agent but all signs point to the Cowboys moving on from their former kicker after a dismal end to the 2022 season.
Dallas Cowboys Special Teams Coach John Fassel on Kicker Move: ‘Deciding Who That Second Guy Is We’re Going to Bring In’
Special teams coach John Fassel mentioned Gould as one of the available kicker options Dallas could explore. Fassel indicated the team has been in discussions on who will be the “second guy” the team signs. The Cowboys opted to pass on drafting a kicker.
“I think with the rookie maybe there’s a little bit more of [we’re] not really sure what we’re gonna get, but with the veteran I think we kind of know what you’re going to get,” Fassel told reporters on May 13. “And if you’re going to bring them in, you got to be excited about what it is that [they bring]. 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.
“So, 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 in training camp to compete against Tristan [Vizcaino] and that might not be the end of it either, like we saw last year. The two guys we had in OTAs and training camp weren’t the guys. So, I think it’s an ongoing process that we’ve got to make a decision [on] before Week 1.”
Robbie Gould on His Next Team: ‘I Want to Win a Super Bowl’
Robbie Gould truly does not care 💀
(via @NFL)
Gould was previously on a two-year, $7.2 million contract with the 49ers. The veteran connected on 27-of-32 of his field goal attempts hitting 84.4% of his kicks for San Francisco in 2022.
Given Maher’s struggles with extra points, Cowboys fans will be pleased to know that Gould connected on 50-of-51 of his attempts in 2022. Gould was a perfect 2-for-2 on field goal tries from 50 yards and beyond. The veteran kicker is aiming to sign with a Super Bowl contender.
“Well first, I want to win a Super Bowl, obviously that means a lot to me,” Gould told NFL.com during an April 21 interview. “And secondly, it comes down to wanting to be able to score 2,000 points, maybe hit 500 field goals, and ultimately just win.”