With the 2022 NFL Draft wrapped up, all of the attention is now heading towards this year’s Training Camp. While most of the chatter will likely be around the franchise’s new WR Group and the pieces they added on both lines of the ball, the one position that intrigues me the most heading into camp is the Kicker Battle between SMU Kicker Chris Naggar and Texas Tech Kicker Jonathan Garibay.
After fielding out Kicker Greg “The Leg” Zuerlein for two seasons, Zuerlein was one of the four players the club parted ways with this offseason. With now a question mark on who was going to take over the kicking reins, some pointed towards them to either rolling with Naggar or drafting LSU K Cade York or Texas Kicker/Punter Cameron Dicker.
However, they surprisingly didn’t draft either and some believed they were heading towards rolling with Naggar.
But with one of their twenty undrafted free agent signings, the club signed Garibay and while it’s typical to not get too excited about UDFA signings (since the odds of them making an impact is rare), fans were elated about Garibay after they caught video of his 62-yard GW FG against Iowa State.
Some went as far as to claim that Garibay was going to start over Naggar no doubt, but is too early to say that?
The Cowboys are signing undrafted rookie free agent kicker Jonathan Garibay
(Video: @CamMellor) pic.twitter.com/8sNzqvGKJS
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) April 30, 2022
In his two seasons at Texas Tech, Garibay was 23-27 (85.2%) in FGM and 55-57 (96.7%) in XPM, and if you compare those numbers against York or Dicker (who were touted as the two top K’s in this year’s class), he was statistically better.
While Naggar does bring a little more NFL experience than Garibay, he is unproven. However, that doesn’t mean I’m designating him as the loser already for the starting kicker gig since he has a chance to showcase his talent still.
And just like Naggar, Garibay shouldn’t be overlooked and it wouldn’t surprise me if the franchise rolls out with a Rookie Kicker for the first time since Dan Bailey.
My only wish for whoever wins the kicker position for this season is to please be reliable. Because if you’re like me, I’m tired of seeing past kickers miss extra points or field goals that cost them the game later on, and well… I just miss Dan Bailey. (At least he made kicks.)
So what do you think Cowboy fans? Are you hype about Jonathan Garibay possibly being the franchise’s Kicker of the future?
May the best kicker win…or both be replaced by someone better. I’m just glad that my blood pressure will no longer spike every time “Greg the Leg” trots out onto the field.
I feel your pain lw28 ! It’s going to be nice not closing my eyes on every field goal and keeping one eye closed on extra points! There’s got to be better kickers out there than Greg the leg!
From watching the UDFA league…err…USFL, there doesn’t seem to be much out there waiting on an opportunity. The kicking has been atrocious. I think there is one good, reliable kicker in the entire league.
However, there are a couple of really good punters playing. Of course, we’re already set there for 3 years with Anger. But, if something should happen to him, they should have Michael Carrizosa on speed dial. Just don’t ask him to kick field goals.
I’m very happy that Dallas let go of Greg “The Peg-Leg” after two of the most undependable years I can remember for the Cowboy’s ST. I really hope Garibay IS like Dan Bailey, the last great K we had. Missing FGs is one thing but missing XPs should be unacceptable, period!
Well if let Z go whoever is left is gonna b the kicker for now. Duuuh.
Yeah man I’m srsly pumped to see this happen and I really want Garibay to make the roster and be productive. Me as Tech fan watching him for two years and especially seeing that game against Iowa State and kick the 62 yarder to win Tech the game, i really wanted him to be a cowboy especially since then I knew Zurelein wasn’t gonna be on the squad any longer so that made me want him to do good and for the chance of him being a Dallas Cowboy and now he’s just a few steps away from making that happen and I srsly want him to do good especially in a cowboys uniform that can win us many games cuz the kids got a leg. #JonathanTheLegGaribay