USAT: Cowboys Wire audio clip

USAT: Cowboys Wire

Mar 9, 2022

For many football fans, punters don’t matter. That is, until theirs leads the league in net average, sets a franchise record in the process, earns a trip to the Pro Bowl, and then is named as someone the team won’t bring back because they want to go a cheaper route due to a long string of questionable money moves. - Veteran punter Bryan Anger is unlikely to return to Dallas in 2022, according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News, after dramatically outperforming a league-minimum contract in 2021. The 33-year-old joined the Cowboys last April on a one-year deal worth $1.08 million. - Special teams coordinator John “Bones” Fassel had long been a fan of Anger, and when the former third-round draft pick was released by Houston, the Cowboys pounced. Incumbent Hunter Niswander stuck around for a portion of training camp but was let go as the regular season approached in favor of the former UC-Berkeley product. - Anger put up huge numbers, averaging an impressive 48.4 yards per punt on 65 attempts, a mark that was good for fourth place across the NFL. But it’s Anger’s league-leading 44.6-yard net average that meant even more and etched Anger’s name in the Cowboys’ history books. - “Really, I’m proud of the net punt record for the Cowboys,” Fassel told media members in January as the team prepared for the postseason, “because it’s a season-long thing. It’s not like, ‘Hey, this was a great game or this one amazing punt.’ … Everyone had to be pretty darn good to flip the field, and, really, that’s the goal: you want the biggest net because you want to put our defense on the field as far away from our end zone as possible. … So, you know, really attributable to Bryan and his teammates, and pretty awesome.” - The rest of the league no doubt noticed, too. And now Anger is expected to draw interest in the way of a more lucrative contract that may lure him out of Dallas after just one season. The fact that Dallas has 20-some pending free agents and serious work to do to get under the salary cap make it all the more likely they’ll continue their bargain-hunting ways when it comes to the punter position. - - Cowboys punter Bryan Anger is considered unlikely to return to Dallas after his franchise-record 44.6 net average in 2021, sources said. He signed a minimum $1.075M contract last year and made first career Pro Bowl. With his market on rise, team likely going value shopping again. - — Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) March 8, 2022 - - - It’s a source of frustration for many Cowboys fans who are already hearing that the club is considering a parting of ways with superstars like Amari Cooper and DeMarcus Lawrence over money. Just this week, the organization placed a $10.93 million tag on tight end Dalton Schultz, who many deem quite replaceable at a lesser price. Now comes the suggestion that they can’t even afford to keep their punter. - If 2021 proves to be Anger’s only year wearing the star, it was at least a memorable one. - “It’s been a privilege to work with Bones, and our special teams has been amazing,” Anger said just after the Cowboys’ playoff loss to San Francisco. “This is the funnest year I’ve had, as a team.” - 2022 will no doubt be at least more profitable for Anger, if not more fun. And it seems likely those larger paychecks will come from a new team. - - List - - Cowboys expected to restructure Dak Prescott and Zack Martin - - - - - - - - List - - Washington's Cade Otton fits Schultz mode for Cowboys if long-term need remains come draft weekend - - - - - - - - List - - Speed racer Jahan Dotson would bring unique element to Cowboys offense - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Email - - - - - Sign up - - - - - - - - Like this article? - Sign up for the Cowboys Wire email newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning - - - - An error has occured - - - Please re-enter your email address. - - - - - - Thanks for signing up! - - - You'll now receive the top Cowboys Wire stories each day directly in your inbox.

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