Greg Zuerlein suffered a quad strain in Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys and was unable to kick after the Rams’ final two touchdowns of the afternoon. The Rams are optimistic he’ll be able to play, but they’re exercising levels of caution in case he can’t.
According to Field Yates of ESPN, the Rams worked out former Cowboys kicker Brett Maher, who Dallas cut last week.
With K Greg Zuerlein dealing with a quad injury, the Rams tried our former Cowboys K Brett Maher, per source.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) December 19, 2019
Maher struggled mightily with the Cowboys this season, making just 20 of 30 field goal attempts, including just 5-for-13 from 40-plus yards. From the all-important range of 40-49 yards, Maher only made 1 of 5 attempts.
He does have a big leg and made field goals from 62 and 63 yards in his career, but it’s when the kicks get closer that he struggles more than most players. Even from 30-39 yards, Maher is only 12-for-16 in the NFL.
Hopefully for the Rams’ chances of staying alive in the NFC playoff race, Zuerlein’s injury doesn’t keep him sidelined on Saturday against the 49ers. Sean McVay said earlier this week that the Rams would work out kickers just in case, and it seems Maher is one of their top choices.