When taking a look at the Dallas Cowboys roster, there aren’t many holes present. Jerry Jones and his staff did a very good job of addressing their needs earlier in the offseason, as Dallas was active on the trade front.
Cornerback Stephon Gilmore was acquired from the Indianapolis Colts, giving the Cowboys two stellar players in their secondary to shut down opposing passing attacks. After that, Dak Prescott got a new weapon with wide receiver Brandin Cooks being acquired from the Houston Texans.
His presence will elevate a passing game that lost wide receiver Noah Brown and tight end Dalton Schultz in free agency to the Texans. Cook, a capable No. 1 option, will also take pressure off of CeeDee Lamb.
Their need for a defensive tackle was addressed in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft when the Cowboys selected Mazi Smith out of Michigan. Overall, this is a strong roster. But, as ESPN NFL insider Field Yates pointed out, there is still one major move that the team needs to make this offseason.
In Fields’ opinion, the Cowboys desperately need to add a veteran kicker. He believes that Robbie Gould would be the perfect fit for the team after a late season meltdown from the normally reliable Brett Maher.
“This one feels about as straightforward as it gets: The Cowboys have a major need for an established presence at kicker and Gould is the best available right now. While Brett Maher (currently unsigned) had a regular season full of critical long-distance kicks, he became the only kicker in NFL playoff history to miss four extra points in one game. Gould, on top of being the eighth-most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history, has never missed a postseason kick (extra point or field goal).”
Not having a kicker you trust can drastically change game plans. If Mike McCarthy wasn’t comfortable sending Maher out on the field, he could call different plays near the red zone knowing he had to score a touchdown instead of just putting his team in position for points from a field goal.
Gould has proven to have ice water in his veins as pointed out by Yates’ stat that he has never missed a postseason kick. He would bring a level of comfort to the Cowboys’ coaching staff that they did once possess in Maher but has been lost.
In his career, Gould has connected on 620-of-636 extra point attempts, coming out to 97.5 percent. On field goal attempts, he is 447-of-517 for an excellent 86.5 percent. While he may not have the biggest leg in the NFL, he is nearly automatic from inside 40 yards, missing only 16 attempts in his 18-season career from that distance.
