Dallas Cowboys rolling with rookie kicker? Mike McCarthy urges patience – Dallas Cowboys Blog

FRISCO, Texas — In 2007, Mike McCarthy was 44 years old and in his second year as Green Bay Packers head coach. He was still learning the trade and emotions would sometimes flare, especially with a rookie kicker.

McCarthy is now 58 and facing a pressure-packed 2022 as he enters his third season as the Dallas Cowboys coach and is likely to face a similarly uncertain kicking situation that could make his emotions flare again.

With the Packers in 2007, Mason Crosby was a sixth-round pick. As 2022 begins, McCarthy isn’t quite sure who will be the Dallas kicker.

The Cowboys have just one on their 90-man roster — Jonathan Garibay, undrafted out of Texas Tech.

In all likelihood, the Cowboys will add another kicker before flying to Oxnard, California, for training camp in July, but the assorted veterans available have résumés that don’t guarantee more success than Garibay.

It’s possible the Cowboys re-sign Chris Naggar, who was released before the rookie minicamp this spring. He has kicked in one NFL game. They will likely keep their eye on kicker battles across the NFL this the summer, and might even look to the USFL for help.

“Patience,” a smiling McCarthy said when asked what it is like to have such a quandary at kicker.

How’s his patience these days?

“Better today than I was in 2007, I’ll say that,” McCarthy said. “It was a good experience.”

In 2007, Crosby made 31 of 39 field goal attempts as the Packers made it to the NFC Championship Game. He hit a 42-yarder in his first game to beat the Philadelphia Eagles and none of his misses came in a game Green Bay lost.

In the one session he kicked during an offseason practice that was open to the media, Garibay displayed a strong leg. He made multiple kicks from 50 yards, but also had a miss from 55 and a…