Cowboys OTAs: Most urgent position battle should take place quickly
With the Dallas Cowboys' organized team activities (OTAs) getting started this week, it's as good a time as any to talk about the elephant-sized hole on the starting lineup. Who is this year's starting kicker heading into the 2023 NFL season? If we're going by the current roster, there's only one potential answer to that […]
With the Dallas Cowboys' organized team activities (OTAs) getting started this week, it's as good a time as any to talk about the elephant-sized hole on the starting lineup. Who is this year's starting kicker heading into the 2023 NFL season?
If we're going by the current roster, there's only one potential answer to that question. The lone rostered kicker is Tristan Vizcaino, who's made 12 career attempts since arriving at the NFL in 2020. The Cowboys signed him late in the year as an insurance policy following Brett Maher's struggles in Tampa Bay that led him to miss an NFL-record four extra points. However, the team stuck with Maher for the Divisional Round.
Vizcaino was later re-signed by the Cowboys prior to free agency and is the default front-runner to be the team's starting kicker. That could quickly change now that the team is set to ramp up its preparations during OTAs.
Vizcaino's attempts are guaranteed to be closely monitored by media members and fans, similar to what happened last year with UDFA rookie Jonathan Garibay. Will the 26-year-old succumb to the pressure or will he ace the trial and secure the starting gig?
There's only one way to find out. But if I had to bet, he won't be the only kicker taking the field during these next few weeks.
"I think anybody else on Earth who's not on the team right now is under consideration," said special teams coordinator John Fassel following the rookie minicamp earlier this month.
That will likely prove to be the case in the form of tryouts for veteran kickers. Last year, the Cowboys waited until late in the season to add some help as they were figuring out if they had something on Garibay. This year, however, it would make sense to hold tryouts as soon as possible.
If I had to bet, I'd say Brett Maher will be included considering he's the most accurate veteran kicker available in the market today.
Two weeks ago, I outlined how Maher's field goal attempts have been significantly more accurate over the last two years than those of Robbie Gould, Mason Crosby, Randy Bullock, and Ryan Succop. In other words, the big-name free agents at the position haven't been nearly as efficient as of late.
Some of them – and many young guys, too – could also make a stop at Dallas in the coming weeks as the Cowboys try to figure out what to do at the key position.
