Drafting kickers isn't common; only eight have been selected by the Cowboys in over sixty years. But given Dallas major need at the position in 2022, could this upcoming draft be the ninth time it happens?
Of those eight kickers drafted during franchise history, only two have come during Jerry Jones' ownership. They weren't far apart; Nick Folk in 2007 and David Buehler in 2009. And if you look at the circumstances those years compared to now, Dallas arguably has a greater need for a kicker ahead of the 2022 draft than in either of those cases.
In 2007, Dallas had already re-signed veteran Martin Gramatica to a new contract after his first year with the team in 2006. But to create competition the Cowboys spent a 6th-round pick on Nick Folk. The rookie eventually won the job during preseason and Gramatica was soon released.
Two years later, Folk was still around and had just completed 91% of his field goals the previous season. Nevertheless, Dallas was intrigued by the big leg and overall athleticism of David Buehler. They actually spent a 5th-rounder this time to acquire Buehler and carried both kickers on the roster in 2009, using Buehler for kickoffs and long-distance kicks while Folk handled normal field goals and extra points.
In both years, Dallas already had a veteran in place before drafting the rookie. But as of today the Cowboys only have Chris Naggar, an undrafted free agent in 2021 who they signed to a futures deal in January, currently under contract.
Greg Zuerlein was released after two seasons, creating some modest cap savings but mostly to clear room for a more efficient kicker. Even his long history with Special Teams Coordinator John Fassel wasn't enough to save Zuerlein after being one of the NFL's least accurate kickers during his run in Dallas.
Clearly, the Cowboys are in the market for a kicker. And with no free agents out there with resumes any better than Zuerlein's, the draft is now their best chance to find an upgrade.
It helps that Dallas has nine total picks in this draft, four of those in the 5th Round and one in the 6th Round. That's a lot of late-round ammo and it's in that 5-7 range where a top kicker can often be had.
Sure, quality talent at any position can be found in any round. But while late-round picks at offensive and defensive positions are often fliers who sometimes don't even make the final roster as rookies, kickers and punters taken here are sometimes the best in the nation at their craft.
As a renowned special teams guru, John Fassel's voice will carry a lot of weight in the discussion. If he believes he can turn Chris Naggar or some projected undrafted rookie into a reliable NFL kicker then Dallas may just trust in that. But if Fassel loves one of the elite kicker prospects then the Cowboys certainly have the capital to draft one.
Who Dallas likes between prospects like LSU's Cade York, Wake Forest's Nick Sciba, versatile Texas kicker/punter Cameron Dicker, and many others is hard to guess. We have seen different times over the years when the Cowboys have favored accuracy over a big leg or vice versa.
After the last two years with Zuerlein, Dallas may be more enthused by reliability on average range field goals and extra points than exceptional distance. Getting another Dan Bailey in the house would make us all happy.
All this being said, there have been other seasons when the Cowboys could've reasonably drafted a kicker and elected not to. It may not be part of their draft philosophy, which the last 13 years would certainly attest to.
But given the circumstances in 2022, this feels a like time when Dallas may very well prioritize kicker in the upcoming draft. If they believe that this team can return to the playoffs and contend, leaving a game-changing position like kicker to chance would be a dangerous and unnecessary gamble.
