The life of an NFL kicker can’t be easy. Even in the best of times, you always know in the back of your mind that you’re just one bad day away from potentially losing your job.
Brett Maher found that out the hard way this week.
Just two days after Maher missed four straight extra points in the Cowboys’ wildcard showdown with the Buccaneers, Dallas signed kicker Tristan Vizcaino to the practice team. It’s Vizcaino’s second stint with the team after spending several months on a reserves/futures contract in 2020.
Maher has been solid for the most part throughout the regular season, which made his sudden fall from Yips even more bizarre. He missed just three of his 53 extra point attempts and never missed a field goal attempt from under 40 yards all year.
But with every scoring opportunity in the playoffs being valued, the Cowboys felt the need to at least hedge their bets ahead of the divisional round.
Here’s the full breakdown of the team’s suddenly unstable kicker situation:
Why did the Cowboys sign a new kicker?
Vizcaino was reportedly signed as an insurance policy in case Maher’s battles with coach Mike McCarthy continue tell reporters Thursday that the move “doesn’t take away any of our confidence in Brett.”
A windy day today at The Star. It didn’t seem to bother Cowboys kicker Brett Maher, who missed 4 extra points on Monday night. He was a perfect 6v6 kicking field goals in practice today. New Cowboys kicker Tristan Vizcaino was 3-for-5 pic.twitter.com/JMjEE88bXv
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) 19 January 2023
At this point, it’ll be a surprise if Maher doesn’t start in the divisional round game against the 49ers this Sunday. He’s been something of a journeyman throughout his career, playing for 10 different teams in the NFL and CFL. However, he has been one of the more reliable kickers in football this season with a 90.6% field goal percentage.
If he looks shaky again this weekend but the Cowboys still manage to progress with a win, then Vizcaino might get a chance in the NFC Championship Game.
Who is Tristan Vizcaino?
Vizcaino played college football at the University of Washington from 2014 to 2017. During his senior season, he converted 12 of his 19 field goal attempts and 48 of his 51 extra point attempts.
The 26-year-old has bounced around in the NFL since joining the league in 2019, usually as a backup or a member of the practice team. In his short career, he has signed short-term contracts with eight different teams, namely the Bengals, Cowboys, Vikings, 49ers, Bills, Chargers, Patriots and Cardinals.
His last NFL action came in November with the Cardinals. He only played a single game for the team, but he was a perfect 2-2 on field goals and 3-3 on extra points in a 27-17 win over the Rams.
Brett Maher vs. Tristan Vizcaino The statistics
Maher has played a lot more in the NFL than Vizcaino. He has attempted 116 field goals in the league compared to Vizcaino’s 12. That means the sample size for Vizcaino is much smaller.
However, Vizcaino’s record of extra points is even worse than Maher’s, despite Maher’s four penalties this weekend. Vizcaino missed five extra points in seven weeks as the Chargers’ starter in 2021 before being promoted to the practice roster.
With that in mind, here’s a statistical comparison between the two kickers in the NFL:
| Name | genital mutilation | FGA | FG% | XPM | XPA | XP% |
| Brett Maher | 94 | 116 | 81,0 % | 129 | 139 | 92,8 % |
| Tristan Vizcaino | 11 | 12 | 91,7 % | fifteen | 20 | 75,0 % |
