Cowboys 'Kicking Off' Camp With A Competition?

Originally posted on FanNation Cowboy Maven
By Isaiah DeAnda Delgado | Last updated 6/26/23

Training camp will be kicking off in the coming weeks, and as of now, kicker Tristan Vizcaino remains the Dallas Cowboys’ uncontested starter.

At 26 years old, Vizcaino does not have much of a resume. Up to this point, he’s attempted just 12 field goals [missing one] and 20 extra points [making 75-percent of his attempts].

Since entering the league in 2020, Vizcaino has been rostered by four teams, most recently the New England Patriots last season. His role has mostly been limited to being a kickoff specialist rather than being tasked with scoring field goals.

Considering his lack of proven success scoring on kicks, it’s no surprise that there is some wild speculation about what could be on the horizon for Dallas once camp starts. For instance ...

“The Cowboys could easily bring 5-10 kickers to Oxnard and hold a mass tryout the day before camp opens, and sign one of those guys, and then have another open try out the last week of camp and make a “final” decision at kicker,” SB Nation's Blogging the Boys writes.

Let's tap the brakes here, though, and examine what we know. Yes, Dallas should leave no stone unturned when it comes to finding a kicker. And yes, we think if the Cowboys intend to dethrone their divisional rival Philadelphia Eagles as the NFC champions next season, they’ll need a reliable kicker.

And there is an Eagles-related history to that thinking. As Chicago Bears fans would quickly remind Cowboys Country, it was their kicker’s infamous double-doink that allowed the Eagles to advance in 2018 and eventually win a Super Bowl.

According to our own Mike Fisher, Dallas has a specific plan when it comes to adding competition for Vizcaino ... and no, it does not presently involve a "10-kicker tryout.'' Whether it's Robbie Gould or Mason Crosby or Ryan Succup or a kicker from a "minor'' league, coordinator "Bones'' Fassel has something locked in.

And Fassel's bosses know improvement is needed, even after the apparently dis-invited Brett Maher had a good 2022 regular season. In the postseason last year, only one of Dallas’ six extra-point attempts was good. This year the Cowboys can’t afford a repeat of their kicking woes, or else they’ll miss the big dance for a 28th consecutive season, continuing what is already the longest Super Bowl drought in the franchise’s history.

When training camp kicks off in Dallas, expect a kicking competition to ensue as part of it. But the competition is more likely to be about two guys than it is to be about 10.

This article first appeared on FanNation Cowboy Maven and was syndicated with permission.

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