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Dallas Cowboys 2018 NFL Draft: Positions off limits in 1st round

By Christian Blood

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 25: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stands at the podium during a moment of silence for the victims and those others affected by the Bombing at the Boston Marathon in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on April 25, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 25: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stands at the podium during a moment of silence for the victims and those others affected by the Bombing at the Boston Marathon in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall on April 25, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /
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Dallas Cowboys
NEW ORLEANS, LA – OCTOBER 04: Dan Bailey #5 of the Dallas Cowboys kicks a field goal as Chris Jones #6 holds the ball during the first quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on October 4, 2015 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

Kicker: Dan Bailey is going nowhere

Dan Bailey had a remarkably down year, but don’t let that ‘kick off’ the argument that he’s headed out of Dallas anytime soon. To start with, the idea that the Cowboys would select a kicker in the first round is laughable – the only kicker I can think of that’s ever been selected in the first round of any NFL Draft was Sebastian Janikowski back in 2000.

Bailey suffered an injury at midseason that required the signing of Mike Nugent, who was actually a second-round pick of the New York Jets in the 2005 NFL Draft. Not that a lack of kicking continuity was the main issue concerning the Cowboys in ’17, but it was clearly a weaker area than expected and one that faced some unfamiliar adversity. When safety Jeff Heath is lining up to attempt an extra point, you know that something has really flown south.

A Pro Bowl participant in 2015, Bailey had never missed an extra point over his first six years in the league – he was amazingly undrafted in 2011.

But the former Oklahoma City Cowboys kicker missed two extra points down the stretch and also started missing field goals, all of these issues coming after the injury in October.

Remember how kickers like Lin Elliott and Nick Folk started off so strong for the Dallas Cowboys, but then just fell off the map seemingly all at once?

Well, my money says that this is not how things will go for Bailey, who’s regarded by many as the best kicker in the history of the NFL, at least in terms of accuracy. Sure, Bailey needs to play for quite a few more years before we can really say that he’s truly the greatest, but he’s a stud when it comes to all facets of place kicking.

His field goal percentage has taken a little dip, but nothing that would create panick by any stretch. Kickers miss sometimes, and that’s the nature of the business. On kickoffs, Bailey has the leg to launch touchback after touchback, which ends up helping a defense that’s not exactly loaded with talent along the defensive line.

Bailey’s contract has him in Dallas until 2021, and rightly so. If, for some strange reason, you don’t like that fact, let me shoot a few names at you from the annals of Dallas Cowboys history:

Tim Seder. Jon Hilbert. Billy Cundiff. Shaun Suisham. Mike Vanderjagt. Martin Gramatica. David Buehler – we already covered Folk, and these are all kickers since Y2K.

A first-round kicker?

You kidding me?

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