The Cowboys waived Kicker Chris Naggar yesterday, giving the former Longhorn and Mustang a trivial offseason stay with his hometown team. Undrafted free agent Jonathan Garibay is now the only kicker on Dallas’ roster, but will that remain the case between now and Week One?
Naggar spent most of 2021 on the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad and was used in one game as a COVID-19 replacement. Dallas signed him to a future contract in February, and for a brief time he was their only kicker between the release of Greg Zuerlein and the addition of Garibay.
A native of Arlington, TX, Chris went undrafted in 2021 following one year at SMU as their kicker. He transferred from Texas in 2020 while also making the switch from punter.
The Cowboys needed to waive one player to reach the 90-man roster limit before starting minicamps. This decision at least shows they see greater potential in Garibay than Naggar.
However, does Naggar’s dismissal mean Garibay will have no competition for the kicking job in 2022?
There’s good reason to be intrigued by the former Tech Tech kicker. Garibay went 15-of-16 on field goals in 2021, including a 62-yard game winner, and made 49-of-50 extra points for the Red Raiders.
However, after two years of sticking with Greg Zuerlein based on NFL experience and his relationship with Special Teams Coordinator John Fassel, this would be U-turn in Dallas’ handling of the kicker position. Will the team really turn to an undrafted rookie without any other options?
There are some veterans out there even at this later point in the offseason. For example, earlier this week I wrote about Michael Badgley as a potential contender.
Until the Cowboys do bring in someone else, though, it’s now Jonathan Garibay’s job to lose.
