FRISCO, Texas – Not long after he finished his tryout at The Star on Monday, veteran kicker Kai Forbath anxiously waited for some good news.
A few minutes later, a text message came through on his phone but it wasn't from anyone he was expecting. Instead of a message from his agent, or perhaps someone from the Cowboys, Forbath got a text from his mother in Los Angeles.
"We were sitting at the lunch room and my mom texted me," he recalled. "She said congrats. I told her I didn't know anything yet. But (the Cowboys) called my agent before they told me and he called my mom to tell her. She texted me before I even heard."
Needless to say, news traveled fast, and it wasn't long before the Cowboys fans were made aware of the change as the Cowboys decided to release Brett Maher and sign Forbath, who had kicked for five other teams in his career.
Later in the day, Forbath spoke to the Dallas media for the first time, and said he understands the business of being NFL kicker, where you can be here today and gone tomorrow.
"It's something I've gotten used to. It's not the best situation," Forbath said. "But if you make kicks you stick around."
Forbath knows that firsthand, especially this year when he spent just one week in New England. The Patriots signed him following their game with the Cowboys when Nick Folk was injured. Against Houston, Forbath made one field goal, but missed an extra point in his only game with the Patriots, who released him the following week.
But Forbath is hoping even that one game can knock some of the rust off, considering he kicked in only three games for Jacksonville in 2018.
"I definitely feel more comfortable coming here after that week in New England," Forbath said. "I'm here to be consistent and make kicks."
Forbath beat out kickers Nick Rose and Tristan Vizcaino in Monday's workout. Both of them were in Frisco last week for a workout but the Cowboys chose to stick with Maher for another week. Last Thursday in Chicago, he missed a 46-yard field goal and also had a kickoff go out of bounds. It was Maher's 10th missed kick of the season, finishing his year with the Cowboys at 20 of 30, including 1 of 5 from 40-49 yards.
Maher made headlines with his strong leg, becoming the first kicker in NFL history to make three kicks of 60 yards or more. He has the Cowboys' record for longest kick at 63 yards this season.
Forbath's career long is 57 yards back in 2015. He said "every situation is different" but he feels comfortable "within that (range) or back further."
While he never kicked for the Cowboys back in 2011, he technically stared his career in Dallas. He signed with the team injured, nursing a hamstring injury. He stayed with the club during the year but rookie Dan Bailey was having so much success that Forbath eventually was let go when healthy.
Forbath went to Washington for three-plus seasons, playing in 41 games. He also kicked for the Saints, Vikings, Jaguars and Patriots.
