Dallas Cowboys update status of kicker Greg Zuerlein

NFL insider Aaron Wilson reports Dallas Cowboys kicker Greg Zuerlein was activated off the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday afternoon. On Nov. 9 he on the list after a positive COVID-19 test, forcing him to sit out last week’s game against the Atlanta Falcons.

It hardly mattered, as the Cowboys throttled the Falcons to the tune of a 43-3 victory. In Zuerlein’s absence, the Cowboys elevated kicker Lirim Hajrullahu from the practice squad, and even Hajrullahu did all that was asked. Though he never took the field for a field goal attempt due to the Cowboys’ touchdown-heavy performance, he made all five of his point-after attempts.

Even with Greg Zuerlein activated, the Cowboys are “keeping kicker Lirim Hajrullahu close by,” according to Gehlken, who said the organization made Hajrullahu one of its four protected practice-squad players, preventing another NFL team from picking him up.

Zuerlein, who spent the first eight seasons of his NFL career with the St. Louis and Los Angeles Rams and was named a 2017 first-team All-Pro, has been solid for the Cowboys this year. He is 14-18 on field-goal attempts, but two of his four misses came from 50-plus yards out. He also converted 21 of his 23 point-after attempts, and against the Chargers, Zuerlein kicked a game-winning field goal.

Another potential return

The Dallas Cowboys may also return Skip Peete, an NFL assistant since the late 1990s, is in his second year as the running backs coach. Combined with the Cowboys offensive line, Peete has Ezekiel Elliott running at an elite level again.

Earlier this week, reports suggested Peete could return on Thursday, along with Greg Zuerlein.

Mike McCarthy on Greg Zuerlein

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy was not concerned when Greg Zuerlein trotted out for the game-winning field goal against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2 — despite it being just one week removed from a poor Week 1 performance. The following Monday, McCarthy revealed why he had so much confidence in his veteran kicker.

“The line going in was 40 (yard line). In my experience, that’s something you grade your on … in the pregame. So, it’s something you just keep on your call sheet,” McCarthy said. “When you’re kicking indoors, it’s usually about the 40.”

The Cowboys special teams had Zuerlein’s expected range marked off from before the game kicked off. When they lined up from the Chargers’ 38-yard line, McCarthy knew it was well within his kicker’s range.