Dallas Cowboys planning to 'start over' at kicker in 2023

With Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher heading into free agency this offseason, the team is planning to “start over” at the position, according to Jerry Jones on Wednesday. That doesn’t necessarily mean Maher won’t be back in the Metroplex next season, but Jones’ statement was telling.

After a full season of consistent kicking, Maher had one of the worst performances in NFL history in the Cowboys’ first playoff game versus Tampa Bay. He missed four extra points before finally making a fifth. He became the only kicker in NFL history to miss four extra-point attempts in a single game.

Maher’s issues carried over into the next week as well. He had an extra point attempt blocked and even without the block, it looked like the ball was going to head wide left.

During the regular season, the former Nebraska kicker hit on 90.6% of his field goals and 50 of 53 extra point attempts. In the postseason, he made two field goals with a long of 43, and went 1-for-6 on extra points.

The 2022 season was Maher’s second stint with the Cowboys. He also kicked in 2018 and 2019 for Dallas, although his percentages were much lower on field goals earlier in his career. In those first two seasons, he missed just one extra point.

Maher is just one of 20 Dallas Cowboys players entering free agency when the league new year hits in March.

The official league new year starts on March 15 at 4 p.m. ET., at which point, players can make new deals official. Contract negotiations can commence on March 13.

Here’s the list of the Cowboys’ players whose contracts expire this offseason.

Cowboys’ pending unrestricted free agents

Offense
QB Cooper Rush
RB Tony Pollard
WR Noah Brown
WR T.Y. Hilton
TE Dalton Schultz
OT Jason Peters
OL Connor McGovern

Defense
DE Dante Fowler
DE Carlos Watkins
DT Johnathan Hankins
OLB Anthony Barr
LB Leighton Vander Esch
LB Luke Gifford
CB Anthony Brown
CB Trayvon Mullen
S Donovan Wilson
CB CJ Goodwin

Special Teams
K Brett Maher
LS Jake McQuaide
LS Matt Overton

Restricted Free Agents
RB Rico Dowdle
OT Terence Steele