The Cowboys have made a potentially telling move today, signing kicker Chris Naggar to a futures contract for 2022. After not really giving Greg Zuerlein any competition the last two years, is this a sign that the veteran is on his way out of Dallas?
Naggar went undrafted in 2021 and spent training camp and preseason with the Jets. He was waived by New York but joined the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad shortly thereafter.
In Week 16, Naggar was called up as a COVID replacement player for his first and only game of his rookie season. He went 1/1 on field goals, making a 37-yarder, and was 1/2 on extra-point attempts
Chris is a local boy, born and raised in Arlington and having played college ball for Texas and SMU. He was a punter for the Longhorns before transferring to SMU in 2020 and moving to kicker, while also punting for the Mustangs. He went 17/21 on field foals and 43/46 on extra points in his last NCAA season.
It’s not hard to see the Cowboys moving on from Greg Zuerlein this offseason. He’s been one of the league’s least-accurate kickers the last two years and would give the team $2.5 million in salary cap relief.
However, given Naggar’s versatility, his arrival may not be a bad sign for Zuerlein. With both Greg and punter Bryan Anger being older veterans, the 24-year-old Naggar may just be here as an extra leg to help reduce their offseason workload.
The Cowboys certainly had bigger problems than Zuerlein’s inaccuracy in 2021. But if they do make the necessary changes to improve next season, the last thing anyone wants is to see a shaky kicker being called on for a game-winning field goal in the playoffs.
Time will tell if the addition of Chris Naggar is just a depth move for the offseason or something more. If Dallas is giving Greg Zuerlein the boot, we should see that move in the next month or so before the start of free agency in March.
