Cowboys continue hunt for new kicker as veteran Brandon McManus becomes available
The Dallas Cowboys have made their need for a new kicker clear this offseason since parting ways with Brett Maher after the season. They have one kicker on their roster as they begin OTAs, but are looking for a more sure-legged option following last year’s special teams woes. While there are several veterans currently on the market, a new and well-known option just became available.
The Broncos released veteran Brandon McManus on Tuesday after he spent nine seasons in Denver. He cemented his starting role for them in 2015 and, most notably, helped the team win Super Bowl 50 over the Carolina Panthers.
For his career, McManus is 81.4% on field goal attempts and 96.9% on PATs. He also has a touchback percentage on kickoffs of 69.3%.
Do the Cowboys have an interest in McManus? Well, according to special team’s coach John Fassel, “anybody else on earth” could be “under consideration.”
“We have Tristan [Vizcaino] on the roster. Anybody else on Earth who is not on the team right now, is under consideration,” Fassel said, via the team’s website. “That’s everyone really. I think we have a lot of different guys that we’re still looking at — XFL, USFL, veterans on the street, younger guys who still haven’t found their way.”
With the Broncos, McManus was earning roughly $3 million a year. Maher, on the other hand, was just a third of the cost.
Fassel also said the easiest way to go is to snag a proven veteran from the free agents market. Mason Crosby, Ryan Succup and Robbie Gould are three more well-known kickers on the market this offseason. Still, Fassel isn’t jumping the gun on signing a new kicker and is still in the process of evaluating the best fit.
Cowboys targeting new kicker this offseason
The search could last all the way until training camp in July. Fassel isn’t ruling anything out — including bringing back 2022’s starter, Brett Maher. He rounded out last year having missed five of six extra-point attempts during Dallas’ playoff run.
“I think everything is on the table,” Fassel said. “Let’s face it, if you look at Brett, he had a great year. He had a bad game. But he played 22 game, but he had a bad game-and-a-half. I think everyone’s on the table. I’m proud of what Brett did here. If he gets a shot here or somewhere else, I’m sure he’ll perform well.”
Maher made nearly 91 percent of his field goal attempts and was perfect on kicks within 40 yards. During the regular season, extra points were rarely a problem as he ended up making 50 of 53 attempts before the playoffs — including two which were blocked. Still, Maher became the first player since 1932 to miss four extra points in an NFL game, regular season or playoffs. That’s a hard image to shake off.