I have been a loyal and staunch supporter of Dallas Cowboys punter Chris Jones for years now. I always liked the fact that he is a physically gifted athlete as far as punters are concerned and I have always believed he was an asset to the team. I have believed this despite his $2 million salary; which is quite a bit for a punter by the way. I thought Jones deserved Pro-Bowl consideration in 2017 and I attributed his struggles the past two seasons to injuries and poor special teams play. However, after watching him continue to struggle in 2020 under a new special teams coach I am more than willing to admit that I was wrong. Chris Jones will be forced to miss multiple weeks due to injury and his replacement Hunter Niswander peformed admirably in his absence. However there was another punter the Cowboys brought in for a workout who created a little more buzz among Cowboy fans and his name is Marquette King. Marquette King, as far as punters go, is the biggest name out there for football fans because of his strong leg, trick shots on social media, and his electric personality. Cowboy fans are hoping that Jerry Jones puts his best foot forward, goes out on a limb (preferably a leg), and does everything in his power to make sure the Dallas Cowboys sign Marquette King?
This type of talk is not new with Cowboys fans. As soon as any player with a recognisable name becomes available, Cowboys fans are begging Jerry Jones to make a move. Regardless if the player is washed up, coming off of a devastating injury, has character concerns, or even a criminal record. I don’t blame Cowboys fans, it is perpetuated by the aura of America’s team and the fact that most players actively want to play for the Dallas Cowboys.
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Marquette King is no exception:
They have already kicked the tires on him so it seems only logical to expect that the Dallas Cowboys sign Marquette King. They are after all in need of a punter. It appears though that they are going to stick with Hunter Niswander. This begs the question: Should the Dallas Cowboys sign Marquette King? For me the answer is NO. Nothing against Marquette, but as talented as a player as he has been in the league, I doubt that signing a punter is going to put this team over the top. The problems the Dallas Cowboys have run far deeper than this one position on special teams. Furthermore, is it really worth it to have a diva punter on your roster. Especially one that has fallen out of favour with his former team and is currently unemployed.
The Dallas Cowboys employed a diva kicker a few years ago named Mike Vanderjagt. The former Colts kicker who was once the most accurate kicker of All Time famously quarrelled with Peyton Manning during his tenure in Indianapolis. Once Vanderjagt started to lose his confidence after missing a few kicks he never quite recovered. Dallas signed him as a reclamation project trying to rediscover some of his former glory but his tenure in Dallas was short and quite forgettable. This 2-7 team that is always in the spotlight doesn’t need a big name punter who dances after he kicks the ball. Sometimes the best results occur with players who do not have an ego and have to prove themselves everyday. Those type of players are hungrier and will work harder than anybody else. Guys like Antwaun Woods, Justin Hamilton, Dalton Schultz, and Garrett Gilbert. I believe Hunter Niswander is one of those guys too. Niswander stepped in last week and he did his job well. He certainly did nothing to merit being replaced. My vote then, although possibly an unpopular one, is for the Dallas Cowboys NOT to sign Marquette King at this time.
*Photo by Joe Glorioso All-Pro Reels https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/legalcode
