Cowboys Country

Cowboys Ex Kicker Greg Zuerlein Signs with New Team

“I think the most important part of a kicker is consistency," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said late in the year. "And it’s not consistently missing.”

Mike Fisher

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys were not going to announce some direct correlation between their recent signing of University of Texas and SMU product Chris Naggar to a futures contract and the 2021 ups and downs of former Pro Bowl kicker Greg Zuerlein.

But now the public sees a correlation. Zuerlein was cut this off-season, and on Saturday  signed with the New York Jets, the team announced today.

The Jets hope he can give them consistency; They went through three kickers last season.

“I think the most important part of a kicker is consistency," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said late in the year. "And it’s not consistently missing.”

Zuerlein, 34, missed six field goals and six extra points this past year. He had a year and $2.2 million left on his contract, but that contract was completely escapable.

"I love Greg, I believe in Greg and I’m not supporting him just because of my experience with him over the alt 10 years," special-teams coordinator John "Bones'' Fassel said late in the year, suggesting that his favorite kicker was struggling in the area of "psychology.'' "This is a production business. When we stop producing, things change.

Enter ... maybe ... Chris Naggar?

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The undrafted free agent kicker was the best kicker - and punter! - in his conference in 2020, the 24-year-old having transferred to SMU after spending his previous four seasons at Texas, where he was the punter. The 6-1, 194-pound Naggar bounced around to a bunch of teams in his first pro season, but now the Arlington native (he was a three-year letter winner at Arlington High School and the 6A All-State kicker and punter during his senior season) gets a chance to compete with his family's favorite team.

The Cowboys and Jets both need better answers at kicker. Maybe Zuerlein can still be that - outside of Dallas.

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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.

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