Cowboys cut veteran kicker Greg Zuerlein after two seasons to create salary cap space

The Dallas Cowboys announced veteran kicker Greg Zuerlein has been released from the team on Friday ahead of free agency to create more salarary cap space.

The move leaves around $300,000 in dead money and saves the franchise $2.25 million in cap space. Cowboys also cut injured tight end Blake Jarwin.

Zuerlein, 34, signed a three-year, $7.5 million deal with Dallas ahead of the 2020 season. He was reunited with Cowboys special teams coordinator John Fassel, who coached the kicker for eight seasons with the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams.

Jerry Jones slams Greg Zuerlein

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was not pleased with Zuerlein's performances throughout the two seasons with the team. Jones even took public shots at his kicker, saying consistency is the most important part of that position.

"I think the most important part of a kicker is consistency," Jones said last year. "And it's not consistently missing."

Zuerlein missed six field goals and a career-high six extra points last season, totaling nine missed extra points in two years as a Cowboy. He went an overall 63-of-76 in field goal attempts and 5-of-14 from 50-plus yards.

Cowboys sign kicker Chris Naggar

Last month, Cowboys signed former University of Texas and SMU kicker Chris Naggar, who led the American Athletic Conference in field goal percentage (81%) in 2020. He was also the runner-up for the Lou Groza Award, given to the best college kicker in the country.

Last season, during a brief stint with the Cleveland Browns, Naggar made his first and only field goal attempt. His role with Dallas remains to be seen, but for now, Pro Bowl kicker Zuerlein will no longer be his competition.

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