Dallas Cowboys Kicker Greg Zuerlein may not be happy with the team in the coming postseason. Jerry Jones, the owner and head coach Mike McCarthy both criticized Zuerlein’s performance following Zuerlein’s miss on his Cardinals field goal. The Cowboys lost by three points in the matchup, and a field goal could theoretically have sent the game into overtime.
McCarthy replied during his postgame media conference to questions about Zuerlein’s miss. “Greg is aware of that, that’s what we all know. I believe that everyone has things we can improve on, and that’s the main point. We didn’t achieve that goal today.
Zuerlein was struggling to get started and the Cowboys signed Lirim Hajrullahu on three occasions to add some pressure to their veteran kicker. Zuerlein is now at Week 18 and has made 28 out of 34 field goal attempts. However, he has only five more points than he did last season.
Jones was not confident when asked what advice he would give to those who are concerned about their team’s kicking performance heading into the playoffs. Consistency is the most important aspect of a kicker, according to Cowboys owner.
“I think the most important part of a kicker is consistency, consistency and it’s not consistently missing,” Jones told Dallas 105.3 the Fan on January 3 essentially calling out Zuerlein. “That’s it.”
Although the Cowboys may sign another kicker before the postseason, it is difficult to see the team having greater faith in a player who has not been there all season. CBS Sports’ Patrik Walker believes it is too late for the Cowboys to make a move at this position, but that doesn’t make it any less worrying as the postseason arroaches.
Walker explained that the Cowboys might be looking into other options than Zuerlein. They signed Hajrullahu for a third time after Zuerlein was unable to play due to COVID-19. However, the former has been with the Washington Football Team and then was poached by the Carolina Panthers.
“There’s always Kai Forbath. He was an excellent Cowboys player and earned a contract extension. Fassel wanted Zuerlein in Dallas, which was after Zuerlein left the Rams for good in 2020. Sources tell CBS Sports that Forbath is not being considered for a return.
It will be interesting for Cowboys fans to see if they make any changes at this position in the offseason. Zuerlein still has one season on his three year, $7.5million contract. The 2022 season’s kicker will earn $2.2 million.