The Dallas Cowboys are in the market for a new kicker and special teams coach John Fassel revealed that former Green Bay Packers specialist Mason Crosby is among the veterans that the team is considering bringing to Big D. Fassel also mentioned Robbie Gould and Ryan Succop as two additional veteran options Dallas could explore.
The Cowboys opted to pass on a kicker in the draft and Tristan Vizcaino remains the only player at the position on the roster. Brett Maher held the position in 2022 but his struggles to the end the season makes a return unlikely.
“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, 2023. “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.”
Cowboys Rumors: Dallas Refused to Rule Out Re-Signing Brett Maher
After the draft, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stopped short of ruling out re-signing Maher. Given how last season ended, it would be a major upset if Dallas seriously considered re-signing the kicker. Jones admitted that the Cowboys were exploring potential rookie kickers, but the team’s targets ended up getting selected.
“We get one that’s more likely to have the yips or whatever,” Jones joked during an April 29 press conference. “No, we’ll be looking at more of a veteran kicker.
“…[On re-signing Maher] That’s probably getting a little too into our strategies there a little bit. And obviously we want to come up with the best solution that we can there, but we didn’t get the kicker opportunity that we thought we might get in the draft. And we had other priorities when we had a chance to get it we took somebody else, obviously.”
NFL Rumors: Robbie Gould Wants to Play for a Contender & Close to Chicago
Crosby was previously coached by Mike McCarthy and both were part of the Packers’ Super Bowl run that resulted in hoisting the Lombardi Trophy following the 2010 season. The veteran connected on 86.2% of his kicks and 94.9% of extra point attempts in 2022. Another potential target could be Gould who wants to land with a contender that is also closer to his family in Chicago.
“Obviously I want to play closer to home, that’s one of the big things that’s meant a lot to me, and we’re filtering through those opportunities, and waiting for the right time to be able to do that,” Gould said during an April 21 interview with NFL.com. “I’d love to win if possible, so I’m kind of being a little picky with that, but at 40 years old and playing 18 years in the league, I think I’ve earned the ability to do that.”
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Cowboys Reveal Interest in Former Super Bowl Champ Starter