DALLAS — After a record-setting performance that no NFL player wants to be a part of, Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher will have some competition going into his team's next playoff game.
Dallas has signed kicker Tristan Vizcaino to its practice squad, according to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero. Vizcaino still has to go through a physical before it is official.
Vizcaino played briefly with Dallas during the 2020 offseason before the team waived him in April 2020. He most recently signed with the New England Patriots' practice squad on Nov. 21, 2022, before becoming a free agent following the NFL's regular season after his contract expired.
For the Cowboys, Maher missed his first four extra-point attempts in the team's wildcard playoff matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Cowboys owner, president, and general manager Jerry Jones joined "Shan & RJ" on Audacy's 105.3 "The Fan" [KRLD-FM] Tuesday and said the Cowboys would "take a look at" Maher's situation.
"It has everything to do with the — just frankly mentally having it all together when you step up there," Jones said. "And, so, we’ll read this thing as the week goes along. I don’t want to get out over skis and get ahead of it. I thought when he came out at halftime, I watched him warm up out there. He was making all the kicks. I figured that was behind him, but we will take a look at it. We can’t [afford] a big setback to go into the rest of this tournament, rest of this playoff with shakiness at kicker.”
The Cowboys would also be open to going for more two-point conversions and fourth downs, according to Jones. Dallas was 2-2 on fourth downs against the Buccaneers and even went for it on a 4th & 4 from the Tampa Bay 18-yard line with 10:18 to go in the game while leading 24-6.
In the first half of the Bucs game, Maher shanked his first two attempts to the right of the uprights. Then, he pulled his third attempt to the left. And then in the third quarter, he doinked his fourth extra point kick off the top of right upright.
According to StatMuse, nine other kickers in NFL history can claim missing three PATS in a game.
Maher is the first to miss four.
The 33-year-old kicker also missed his sole PAT attempt in the Cowboys' Week 18 matchup against the Washington Commanders.
That means he missed five consecutive extra-point attempts over a two-week span.
Heading into Monday's game, Maher had only missed six extra point kicks in 134 attempts throughout his four-year career. And that figure includes the miss in Washington. So, Maher missed as many XP attempts in his last two games (5) as he had in his career before Week 18.