Cowboys Kicker Search: Brandon McManus Signs with Jaguars

Tristan Vizcaino is going to get some competition. But now the Dallas Cowboys cannot add Brandon McManus to the kicker candidates.

FRISCO - In a strange twist that speaks volumes about the quirky nature of the NFL kicker game, Brandon McManus, the Denver Broncos' kicker since 2014 and the last-remaining player from their Super Bowl 50 championship team, was released by the club on Tuesday morning.

So … McManus to Dallas? Nope. On Thursday the Jacksonville Jaguars signed him up.

And what is Denver going to do to replace the 31-year-old kicker who is coming off a mediocre season but who has an impressive playoff resume?

Among their tryout prospects is Brett Maher, who experience a renessaince in with the Dallas Cowboys last year before completely flopping in the playoffs.

The Cowboys have not re-signed Maher, but have talked openly about signing a veteran kicker. Special-teams coordinator "Bones'' Fassel has even named names, rattling off free agent candidates like Robbie Gould, Ryan Succup and Mason Crosby.

Well, maybe now "Bones'' should hold another press conference to note that McManus enjoyed a what can only be termed a successful nine-year run in Denver. He made 81.4 percent of his field goals and 96.9 percent of his point-after attempts in 144 regular season games. 

And in the playoffs? He made all of his 10 field goal attempts during the 2015 postseason, a run that included three field goals in Denver's 24-10 win over Carolina in Super Bowl 50.

McManus started that playoff run by drilling five field goals in the Broncos' 23-16 over the Steelers in the AFC divisional round. McManus also made each of his three point-after attempts during the Broncos' most recent postseason.

Dallas currently has Tristan Vizcaino as the only kicker on the roster for the ongoing OTAs. The 26-year-old Vizcaino has some fans here inside The Star. But it seems like the Cowboys are in the process of taking seriously the idea of a big-time leg here. Is Dallas now "the top landing spot'' for McManus? We have no idea where that info is coming from. But he should certainly be added to the list.

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Mike Fisher
MIKE FISHER

Mike Fisher - as a newspaper beat writer and columnist and on radio and TV, where he is an Emmy winner - has covered the NFL since 1983 and the Dallas Cowboys since 1990, is the author of two best-selling books on the Cowboys.