Dallas Cowboys: Brett Maher vs. Dan Bailey in 2018

The Dallas Cowboys made the bold choice to release veteran kicker Dan Bailey and trusted a 28-year old rookie instead. Was it the right call?

In what might have been the most shocking move by the Dallas Cowboys in 2018 outside of the midseason trade for wide receiver Amari Cooper, was the unexpected release of long-time kicker Dan Bailey during final roster cuts just prior to the start of the regular season.

The Cowboys released the seven-year veteran, one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history, and replaced him with a 28-year old rookie who had previously played in the CFL named Brett Maher.

It seemed like an odd choice for Dallas at the time because Bailey had been such an important member of the team for so long. And at only 30-years old, he figured to be in the prime of his kicking career.

But Bailey did struggle with a groin injury in 2017 that forced him to miss four games midseason. When he returned, the veteran didn’t appear to be the same player. The normally ultra-consistent Bailey would end up missing on five of his final 13 field goal attempts. He would also miss on two extra point tries for the first of his entire career.

It was certainly a worrisome end to the year for Bailey, but there was no indication his job was on the line during the following offseason training program, during training camp and throughout the preseason.

Maher’s presence in Dallas was thought to be nothing more than an extra camp leg to help pick up the slack for Bailey, allowing the veteran to rest at times. The rookie wasn’t considered direct competition in the minds of most.

Yet something changed. And that something was likely a booming 57-yard field goal Maher hit in the Cowboys’ final preseason game against the Houston Texans. The rookie went 4-5 in the preseason, hitting two 45-yarders in his previous two games.

Maher clearly left an impression on the Cowboys’ coaching staff. Combined with the $3.4 million Bailey was scheduled to make for each of the next three years, Dallas opted to part ways with the veteran.

Suddenly, Maher was the kicker for America’s Team and a financial steal costing only $480K in 2018. Bailey would eventually sign a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings for $1.75 million, playing in a total of 14 games.

So, did the Cowboys make a wise decision opting to keep Maher over Bailey? Let’s look at the stats …

Dan Bailey in 2018: Field Goals Attempted – 28; Field Goals Made: 21 = 75%
Brett Maher in 2018: Field Goals Attempted – 36; Field Goals Made: 29 = 80.6%

Dan Bailey in 2018: Extra Points Attempted – 31; Extra Point Made: 30 = 96.8%
Brett Maher in 2018: Extra Point Attempted – 33; Extra Point Made: 32 = 97%

Dan Bailey in 2018: FG 20 to 39 yards – 16 of 17; 40 yards plus – 5 of 11
Brett Maher in 2018: FG 20 to 39 yards – 16 of 18; 40 yards plus – 13 of 18

According to the statistics, Maher was a better overall kicker than Bailey in 2018. And where Maher really shined was at long distance. The Cowboys trusted their rookie with seven attempts at or beyond the 50-yard line, and Maher nailed six of them including a 62-yarder.

The Vikings only trusted Bailey twice from the same distance, missing once. In fact, the veteran was suspect from the 40-yard line and beyond missing a total of six attempts in 11 tries.

At the end of the day, the numbers prove that releasing Dan Bailey was the right move for the Dallas Cowboys in 2018.