Is ex-Cowboys kicker Brett Maher's NFL future in jeopardy after latest dud?

The kicker position was a point of contention for Dallas Cowboys fans all offseason after they moved on from Brett Maher. In an ironic turn of events, former USFL standout Brandon Aubrey has been one of the NFL's top kickers entering Week 4.

Aubrey has accounted for 36 Cowboys points thus far, which is the most in the NFL among kickers. He's also tops with 10 made field goals and 20 touchbacks. He's also a clean 6-of-7 on extra points and made a 55-yarder in Week 2 that had plenty of room to spare, which suggests Dallas won't miss Maher's range much, if at al..

It's still early in the Aubrey era, but the front office's diligent (albeit prolonged) search for Maher's successor has paid huge dividends.

Moving on from Maher was an obvious call after his yip-stained playoffs. Fans hoped signing with another team would allow the veteran to rebound mentally, but he endured another wobbly showing in the Rams' overtime win against the Colts in Week 4.

Former Cowboys K Brett Maher still hasn't recovered from 2022 playoffs.

Maher's two missed field goals -- that weren't particularly close, by the way - allowed the Colts to remain within striking distance. Sure enough, Indianapolis climbed all the way back from a 23-0 deficit to send the game to overtime.

It wasn't all bad for Maher, who made three field goals, including two from 50 yards. He's not supposed to be perfect, but it's clear watching him kick that he hasn't fully recovered from the 2022 playoffs when he set an NFL record with four missed extra points against the Buccaneers in the Wild Card game.

At the end of the day, Maher has missed four field goals in as many games. That's a worrying trend for someone who authored arguably the worst kicking performance in NFL history and endured a wonky preseason with the Broncos before he was cut.

Maher is still one of the best 32 kickers in the sport, but his misses are indicative of a player who's lost nearly all of his confidence. At this point, teams don't know what they're going to get when Maher sets up for a field goal.

He'll likely keep his job with the Rams for the time being due to a lack of alternative options, but it's not crazy to question how long he is for Hollywood.

And if he's cut, what team will have the courage to sign him?

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