According to a report by Todd Archer from ESPNDallas, the Cowboys have added a third kicker to their roster by signing UCLA's Kai Forbath. Forbath joins incumbent kicker David Buehler and rookie Dan Bailey in a now crowded kicking group.
Like Bailey in 2010, Forbath won the Lou Groza Award in 2009, which is awarded annually to the nation’s top collegiate place-kicker as determined by a voting panel of Division 1 head coaches, sports writers, conference representatives, professional kickers and previous winners.
In the lead-up to the draft, Forbath was widely considered one of the top kickers available, with some experts predicting him to go as early as the fourth round. CBSSports.com ranked him as the second best 2011 place-kicking prospect, two spots ahead of Dan Bailey in the fourth spot.
Coach Garrett yesterday emphasized the importance of "winning in the fourth quarter", and reliable kickers are a critical element in this. So far, both Buehler and Bailey have struggled in camp, Buehler with his accuracy on field goals, Bailey with his distance and hang time on kickoffs. Forbath is sure to push both players even more - but he'll have to get healthy first. For now, he joins the Cowboys on the Non Football Injury list with a quad strain, according to Archer. With three kickers on the roster, is it an option for the Cowboys to keep two on the roster as they did in 2009?