Cowboys 53-man roster prediction after preseason Week 1

Specialists (3):

Brett Maher
Bryan Anger
Jake McQuaide

Ever since Dan Bailey left, the Cowboys kicking situation has been a problem. When he was let go ahead of the 2018 season, they brought in Brett Maher, who knocked in a 62-yarder that season as well as a 63-yarder in 2019.

As impressive as those kicks were, he struggled overall and completed just 74.2 percent of his attempts in two seasons. Since his departure, Dallas has used Kai Forbath and Greg Zuerlein. Forbath was solid but they elected not to retain him and brought in Zuerlein in 2020.

The former Los Angeles Rams kicker had his share of moments over the past two years but was wildly inconsistent. With him in New York, the Cowboys turned to rookie Jonathan Garibay. His short stint was bad enough that Maher was brought back — and baring any unforeseen signings, he’s going to be the kicker in 2022.

While that might be the most unsettling position on the team, it’s the exact opposite for their remaining specialists. Bryan Anger is one of the best punters in the game and Jake McQuaide is never heard from because he never makes a mistake as the long snapper.

KaVontae Turpin has a shot to make it as a return specialist but he needs to show more than he did in his debut for that to happen.