The Dallas Cowboys had one of the more scrutinized offseasons in the NFL, after questionable moves that left them without landmark players at multiple positions.
The two most highly questioned decision were to part ways with Dez Bryant and Dan Bailey. The Cowboys still have not figured out their receiver situation, but Brett Maher has done enough to validate their decision to part with the historically great kicker.
The bottom line is that the Cowboys clearly believed that Bailey was out of his prime. The problem, however, is that Bailey out of his prime is still more reliable that many kickers in the league.
People were uncertain of the backup plan behind Bailey, and many feared that they would struggle because of an edge lost with their kicker. After Maher missed a kick early on in the season, everyone was ready to pounce on the front office.
After Maher’s performance against the Jaguars, there is no longer any reason to question the decision. He was a little shaky early on, but he has come into form and looks as reliable as any kicker in the NFL right now.
The Cowboys appear to have reached a point where they can function as they did when Bailey was at his best, and they are saving a lot of money after Bailey was rewarded for being the most accurate kicker in the history of the NFL.
Maher made it clear that nerves will not get to him after a game winning kick early on, and he had a dominant performance against the Jaguars, making sure the Cowboys never left points off the board.
Maher still just has the one early miss on the season, and has hit over three field goals in the last three games. The Cowboys do not have a dominant offense, and they will not be seeing continued success in the red zone. With a kicker they can trust, they have another way to mitigate some of the ways the offense might struggle.
Additionally, Maher is three for three on kicks more than 50 yards. The Cowboys never put Bailey in any unrealistic positions, and there may not be too much of a difference between his and Maher’s range.
At this point, consistency is what the Cowboys will look for. They know he has the leg talent to do everything they need, and he is on the kind of streak that will give the Cowboys confidence in any kick that is under 55 yards. Right now, that is a luxury that no one should take for granted in the NFL.
Maher still needs to keep it up, because Bailey’s ability to sustain his consistency was the most remarkable aspect of him. The Cowboys cannot afford to have a kicker that is going to hold them back, but it has been a long time since there was any indication that Maher might be holding this team back.
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