Rookie kicker Dan Bailey won the Dallas Cowboys’ place kicking job out of training camp, beating out four others for the job. On Monday, he had to handle the team’s kickoffs as well, as kickoff specialist David Buehler was held out with a groin injury; Bailey was a perfect 6-for-6 on field goals, but owner Jerry Jones was equally impressed by his performance in place of Buehler.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever been prouder of a kicker,” Jones said, per ESPN Dallas. “We found out that Buehler wasn’t going to be able to kick kickoffs, and he handled that with a lot of poise. He did an outstanding job not to have been thinking of kickoffs. We really thought Buehler was going to go up until game time, so you’ve got to give [Bailey] an A-plus, not only on field goals but kickoffs.”
Jones won’t likely be the only one to notice Bailey’s work on kickoffs. In the wake of Monday night’s win, many will inevitably wonder whether Dallas really needs to keep two kickers, particularly with roster spots at a premium, and injuries plaguing the team. If it’s decided that the two kicker system isn’t going to work, which seems very possible at this point, Bailey did enough Monday to ensure that he won’t be the one given his walking papers.
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