4 Cowboys who don’t deserve another season in 2022
3. Greg Zuerlein, K
If your fanbase has to hold its breath every time your kicker attempts an extra point (an extra point! not a field goal!) then you have a problem. Cowboys kicker Greg Zuerlein is that problem. After a couple of stellar years with the Rams, Dallas hoped Zuerlein would have that same success with America’s Team. That’s not what happened. In 2021, Zuerlein was the outright worst extra-point kicker in the NFL. As a seasoned veteran, that’s inexcusable.
Throughout the year, Mike McCarthy and special teams coach John Fassel tried to make excuses for Zuerlein saying how great of a kicker he is. But after so many misses, it was hard to believe anything they were saying. Fassel first said the kicker was struggling due to a back injury and then weeks later said it was actually a mental/psychological issue. Regardless of what was ailing the veteran kicker, as Jones said himself, the responsibility of a kicker is to be consistent. Zuerlein was far from that.
Greg Zuerlein's first season with the Cowboys (2020) saw him convert on 91.7% of extra points. That was a career low for him at the time.
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) February 3, 2022
He achieved a new career low in 2021 by dropping to 87.5%.
That was dead last among kickers with at least 1.5 attempts/game scheduled. pic.twitter.com/3YvbgytLVK
Zuerlein also missed six field goals on the year. He went only two for five in field goals above 50 yards. The point is, Zuerlein has proven he can’t be consistent. Dallas cannot continue to ignore this issue. Although people often focus on quarterbacks, kickers are an important part of a team. They put points on the board when the offense can’t.
The Cowboys recently signed rookie Chris Naggar to a Reserve/Future contract in early February. While Naggar is far from experienced, his signing is a clear kick in the butt to Zuerlein. The Cowboys could cut Zuerlein, though. There are plenty of free-agent kickers and they could save $2.48 million towards their struggling cap space.