The Dallas Cowboys could add a former Pro Bowler and All-Pro selection to fill a key hole on their roster.
As proposed by Blogging the Boys’ LP Cruz, the Cowboys could sign kicker Robbie Gould to replace Brett Maher, who the team decided to move on from this offseason.
Gould spent the past six seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, converting on 27-of-32 field goal attempts (84.4%) during the 2022 season. Cruz explains that if Dallas were to go the veteran kicker route, Gould be one of the best two options — the other one being former Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby — to sign off the free agency wire.
“The two most prominent names on the market are Robbie Gould and Mason Crosby,” wrote Cruz on Saturday, April 8. “Gould has been one of the most consistent kickers throughout his career, having a span from 2016-2018 in which Gould made 82 of 85 field goal tries (96.4%). Gould, however, was more erratic last season between 40-49 yards, missing four of eleven kicks in that range.”
Brett Maher is Arguably a Better Kicker Than Robbie Gould
Among active kickers, Gould ranks among the very best in accuracy, having made 86.5% of his kicks since entering the league back in 2005 with the Chicago Bears. Not only does that accuracy percentage rank No. 7 among all active kickers, it’s far better than Maher’s career percentage of 81.0%, ranking 26th among all active kickers.
However, as Cruz notes, Gould did struggle with kicks from mid range last season, going 7-for-11 (63.6%) on kicks between 40-to-49 yards. By comparison, Maher excelled in this range, going 6-for-7 (85.7%) last season.
From a career standpoint, Gould is certainly a much more accomplished kicker than Maher. But when talking about right now, one could say Maher is better. Gould’s declining range is definitely a cause for concern, especially considering his longest field goal hasn’t exceeded more than 52 yards since the 2019 season.
Meanwhile, Maher actually converted a 60-yard field goal last season, a 63-yard field goal during the 2019 season and a 62-yard field goal during the 2018 season. Before his notable collapse in the Cowboys’ Wild Card round playoff win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — four missed extra points — Maher actually had a strong season in 2022, ranking third in total points, second in extra points and eighth in field goal percentage among all kickers.
Cowboys Could Instead Draft a Kicker to Replace Brett Maher
When factoring in everything, the Cowboys aren’t really upgrading by signing Gould to replace Maher. Dallas would actually degrade when comparing the seasons both kickers are coming off of.
Considering the lack of quality kickers in the free agency market, Dallas may be better suited in drafting and developing a kicker. As Cruz notes, however, the Cowboys haven’t done that since 2009.
“The Cowboys’ last option is to draft a kicker,” says Cruz. “The team hasn’t drafted a kicker since David Buehler in 2009, which yielded mixed results, and before that, Nick Folk, who earned Pro Bowl honors as a rookie. The Cowboys could elect to go that route during this year’s draft.”
While the Cowboys may have been eager to move on from Maher following his postseason struggles, they may find that it’s harder to replace him than originally anticipated.
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