5 free-agent kickers whose phones need to ring from 214 area code
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There’s no position more on an island than NFL kicker. Save for the aberration fake attempt, they rarely are involved in a play that strays from their modus operandi. They come into the game with two edicts, make placekicks and send kickoffs to a specific part of the field. Okay, there’s the occasional onside attempt, and with Bones Fassel as the special teams coordinator, the job of a Dallas Cowboys kicker does come with some extra verbiage in the “duties include but not limited to” section of the posting.
Still, they aren’t asked to block, run, catch and very rarely have to make a tackle. All of this means that the kicker position is interchangeable. There’s no concern about team chemistry or real need to get in sync with the other 10 players on the field. The kicker does his job in isolation. He sets up, approaches the holder and boots the ball. The timing necessary to avoid a block is on him, therefore the Cowboys ridiculous kicking situation thus far in 2022 training camp can be easily fixed.
Just bring in more bodies to try out.
Scheduled to Workout
On Monday Dallas announced they’d be working out four kickers, including former Cowboys booter Brett Maher.
Ammedola was an NFL newcomer last season, making 13 of 19 field goals for the Jets, with a long of 49 yards.
Murphy comes from the USFL, where he went 11-for-12 with the Michigan Panthers, including a 60-yarder against New Orleans.
Molson is a UCLA alum who spent 2021 time on the Packers practice squad and was an emergency option behind Mason Crosby.
Unless one of those names wowed the crowd, they should keep looking, because UDFA rookie Jonathan Garibay hasn’t found his groove and veteran Lirim Hajrullahu hasn’t inspired ultimate confidence either. He’s just been better in comparison.
Bringing on the competition seemed to inspire better from the two. Hajrullahu finally had a perfect 8-for-8 day while Garibay went 6-for-8. Still, keep searching.
Update: The tryouts are happening Tuesday.
Cowboys have four free-agent kickers on field now, working out for team in Oxnard. “The kicker’s job is to kick the ball through the goal posts, whatever the situation is,” Will McClay said. “So we’re looking for guys that can do that more consistently.”https://t.co/p93zaoJqn0
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) August 9, 2022
Difficulty in finding a guy
Most fans focus on being able to make kicks. The NFL moved back the extra point to a 33-yard attempt and misses have dramatically increased, seemingly beyond the frequency of what that distance field goal would normally be missed.
But aside from place kicking, kickoffs are a vital component to the job, and being able to either boot touchbacks or have the placement and hangtime to allow a coverage unit to corral a returner is just as important as kicking between the uprights.
If the NFL would finally adopt the reality that teams should go for it way more than they do, then this conversation would be strictly about power legs.
But some of these guys have kickoff problems, so Dallas may need to think about having their punter kick off, something he’s done in the past, if the more accurate place kicker doesn’t have the big leg.
Anger has incredible hang time, over a second more than the majority of the kickers on the list, but admittedly due to being asked to loft them up instead of boot it out the end zone.
The Rough Diamond philosophy
Oftentimes, kickers emerge after getting their feet wet. Things may not work out for them immediately, or they may suffer a down year and then bounce back. Of course there are kickers who never had it or lost it and never recovered, but some of the best seasons from kickers come after they had a bad season. Whether it be kicking injured, a loss of confidence or a bad environment, looking for guys in need of second chances just makes a ton of sense considering how performances fluctuate at this position.
Elliott Fry
Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Elliott Fry (12) kicks a field goal during day 9 of the Jaguars Training Camp Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022 at the Knight Sports Complex at Episcopal School of Jacksonville.
Jki Jagsday9 51
Fry went four of five last year kicking for Cincinnati and KC. He’s not currently a free agent, but is the No. 2 kicker in Jacksonville’s camp behind Ryan Santoso. If he’s cut loose at the end of camp, Dallas should immediately work him out.
Kai Forbath
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Forbath righted the ship for Dallas in 2019, going 10-for-10 in both field goals and extra points, but he wasn’t brought back. He doesn’t have the strongest leg, but is 17 for 19 over the last 3 years with one miss from 40-49, another from 50+.
Josh Lambo
[Will Dickey/Florida Times-Union]
Lambo had a horrible 2021 under Urban Meyer, but was 38 for 39 the previous two seasons. He was Second-Team All Pro in 2019; surely he’s worth a shot to re-establish his career.
Matthew Wright
Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
Wright is 25 for 28 career (over two seasons) and two of those misses are from 50+ yards, where he is 4 of 6 career. He has missed 3 extra points though, and is currently a street free agent.
Sergio Castillo
Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
A personal favorite, Castillo has been mentioned multiple times here on Cowboys Wire. In November 2019 he was mentioned as a potential replacement for Maher, and now he’s back in the crosshairs. The CFL kicker actually kicked for the Jets but was cut after a four-miss game. Redemption?
He landed back in Canada with the Winnipeg Blue Jets and only went 5-for-5 in this year’s Grey Cup win, showing a clutch gene. He may be once again locked into a two-year contract (with one season to go) but the Cowboys simply need to keep him on the radar as his next stint in the NFL could lead to a storied career.
