Breaking down Cowboys’ kicker options to replace Greg Zuerlein

1. Sam Ficken, Jets

Look… Sam Ficken wouldn’t be our pick if the pickings weren’t so slim. Keep in mind that the New York Jets chose to sign Greg Zuerlein and their restricted free agent kicker Eddy Piniero over bringing this guy back. Not ideal. However, of the remaining options (Matt Ammendola, Zane Gonzalez, and Matthew Wright), Ficken has the most experience to hang his hat on.

Ficken spent his first two years with the Los Angeles Rams but only played in a total of four games. After moving to New York, the kicker got much more experience. In 2019, he played 15 games. It wasn’t a great year. He went a mere 70.4% on field goals and missed three extra points. The next year was better. In 2020, he improved to a much better 86.7% on field goals.

After that season, he was picked up by the Titans. Unfortunately, he’d be placed on the IR with a groin injury and was unable to play in a single game last season. In fact, Michael Badgley was the one who replaced Ficken.

As we said, we know these free-agent options are far from exciting. However, relying solely on a rookie with no competition in training camp just doesn’t seem ideal. Hopefully, Garibay is everything he was touted to be. Having a reliable kicker, as we learned in 2021, truly can be a difference-maker.