Cowboys 10 worst free agent additions in the last decade
By Randy Gurzi
9. Greg Zeurlein, K, 2020
When Mike McCarthy was hired in 2020, he brought John Fassel along to coach special teams. The former Los Angeles Rams coordinator found himself reunited with his former kicker as Greg Zeurlein signed a three-year contract worth $3.75 million.
At the time of the signing, it seemed like a great move. Dallas had just moved on from Brett Maher, who was 20-of-30 in 2019 — which gave him a lowly 66.7 percent accuracy rate. Zuerlein, on the other hand, made 82 percent of his kicks in eight seasons with the Rams.
The issue was, he was coming off his worst season as a pro. In 2019, ‘Greg the Leg’ hit on just 72.7 percent of his tries, going 24-of-33. Fassel still believed in him and was somewhat rewarded.
Zuerlein was right around his career average, hitting 82.9 percent of his tries in both 2020 and 2021. He even had some clutch game-winners and the incredible “helicopter” onside kick that helped them defeat Atlanta in 2020.
#DallasCowboys K Greg Zuerlein with the onside kick of a lifetime unreal! #ATLvsDAL#CowboysNation pic.twitter.com/aAhIHbKhkF
— Kevin Gray Jr. (@KevinGraySports) September 20, 2020
The problem was, he was shaky on extra points. Zuerlein hit on just 89.3 percent of those with three misses in 2020 and six in 2021. Add those to his missed field goals and he had 22 misses in two seasons.
Oddly enough, Zeurlein was replaced by Maher who was fantastic in 2022 — before falling apart in the playoffs. But hey, ‘Greg the Leg’ is available again after going 30-of-37 for the Jets with only one missed extra point.