Like all NFL teams, the Dallas Cowboys have been tasked with trimming their roster at limit of 80 men before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline. One player who failed to qualify was kicker Lirim Hajrullahu, leaving Brett Maher as the team’s only active kicker heading into Dallas’ preseason finale against the Seahawks.
Hajrullahu had all five point attempts after in his four games with the Cowboys last season. He also spent time with the Panthers, where he made 4 out of 5 field goal attempts while making all eight of his post field goal attempts.
Maher spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons with the Cowboys before playing last season for the Saints. In his first go-around in Dallas, Maher made 74.2% of his field goal tries and 98.6% of his point attempts after. In eight games with the Saints, Maher had a career-high 88.9% of his field goal attempts and 83.3% of his post-point attempts. Maher, 32, has four of the five longest field goals in Cowboys history, including a 63-yard kick against the Eagles in 2019.
Maher struggled with his mid-range accuracy, however. He had 20 of 25 career field goal attempts from 30 to 39 yards and 12 of 20 from 40 to 49 yards.
The Cowboys will open the season with a home game against the Buccaneers. Dallas was on the short end of a 31-29 decision in its season opener against Tampa Bay last season. The Cowboys received a spunky performance that night from Dak Prescott, who threw for 403 yards and three touchdowns after missing most of the previous season with a serious leg injury.
