FRISCO, Texas – At long last, a look at the new kicker.
It sounds strange to say. Jonathan Garibay has been on the Cowboys' roster since May 1, when he signed on as an undrafted free agent. For that matter, he has undoubtedly attempted plenty of kicks in the countless hours of offseason work that the media isn't allowed to see.
All of that said, Tuesday marked the first time the rookie kicker worked in front of reporters, and the results were encouraging.
It certainly wasn't perfect. Garibay grazed the right post from 53 yards, and he had another miss from 55. He did rebound to make one from 55, however, and he was perfect on attempts from closer range.
"You can definitely get a feel for his ability," said Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy on Tuesday morning.
It's been well-covered at this point, but Garibay has been in a unique situation this spring. Greg Zuerlein signed with the New York Jets, and the team released Chris Naggar earlier this year. For the time being, Garibay is the only kicker on the roster – and, ironically enough, he's working with two of the Cowboys' most veteran players in Bryan Anger and Jake McQuaide.
"He's obviously working with two excellent vets," McCarthy said. "So I think his opportunity is very healthy. He's got two guys he can lean on."
It'll be interesting to see how that evolves as the summer goes along. At this point in the offseason program, with just a few more days remaining before the team breaks for summer, there might not be a need for another kicker. But with the challenge of training camp on deck, it would be unwise to rule anything out..
"It's not a process of not looking," McCarthy said. "You want competition at all these positions. I think competition at the kicking position is something that you may see in the future."
