3 moves the Cowboys can make to salvage their offseason

3. Find a Kicker Who Can Be Reliable

Kicker isn’t a new need for the Cowboys. Greg Zuerlein was atrocious last season, and there is a pretty strong argument to be made that his performance cost the team games throughout the year. In addition to missing six field goals, he failed to convert on a whopping six extra points and ended the season with the worst XP% in the league.

Despite the fact that Zuerlein was a favorite of special teams coach John Fassel, the team made the right decision to move on from the kicker once affectionately called Legatron. Of the Cowboys’ five regular-season losses in 2021, three were decided by a field goal. Zuerlein missed at least one kick in each of them.

The Cowboys released Zuerlein back in March and now they need to find someone else. There is no clear-cut answer, and even if Dallas wanted to throw money at the position, there really isn’t anyone worth it.

This isn’t a great year to be looking for a kicker in free agency. Younghoe Koo was easily the best kicker available but re-signed with the Atlanta Falcons last month. Former Cowboy Nick Folk was also available earlier this offseason, but he signed a two-year deal to remain in New England. Simply put, there just aren’t many free agents available.

The Cowboys need to find a young kicker in the 2022 NFL Draft

On the other hand, the draft does present some intriguing names for the Cowboys to take a look at, depending on when they might feel comfortable selecting someone. But with a plethora of day three draft picks, the Cowboys would be wise to spend one on a kicker.

LSU’s Cade York is likely the most coveted kicker in this year’s draft. He has everything you want in a kicker, boasting a strong leg and decent accuracy. He’s also no stranger to pressure, winning a National Championship with LSU in 2019. One of his biggest highlights came in 2020 when he came up clutch with a 57-yard game-winning kick through the fog to give LSU the win over Florida.

If York is gone, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Cowboys turn their attention to Texas’ Cameron Dicker. Dicker kicked at Texas for four years and has a very strong leg, but there are some valid concerns about his accuracy. 2021 was the only season of his collegiate career where he had a FG% above 78%.  I could see a situation where Dallas takes someone like Dicker late in the draft and then signs an undrafted free agent for a camp competition.

Dicker has some positional versatility and could also offer some insurance in case anything were to happen to Pro Bowl punter Bryan Anger. In 2021, Dicker also punted for the Longhorns in addition to his kicking duties, averaging 46.8 yards per punt.

However the Cowboys ultimately choose to address the kicker position, they need to do it convincingly. Kicker has been a position of weakness for a while now and finding someone who can reliably make kicks could go a long way towards winning them games next season.