Greg Zuerlein's reason for leaving Rams to join Cowboys is hardly surprising
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theramswire.usatoday.com]
Cameron DaSilva
The Rams came into the offseason with several marquee names set to hit free agency. Cory Littleton and Dante Fowler Jr. were two of the most notable, followed by Andrew Whitworth and Michael Brockers. Greg Zuerlein was somewhat of an overlooked free agent, but his departure is a big loss for the Rams.
On the same day that Los Angeles got Brockers back, Zuerlein agreed to terms with the Cowboys, leaving the Rams after eight seasons. Many fans were quick to point out that Zuerlein followed special teams coordinator John Fassel to Dallas, and unsurprisingly, that was his primary reason for signing with the Cowboys.
“I always thought I would be a Ram for life. For one reason or another, things happened the way they did. Coach Fassel left and when he left I thought, huh, this guy brought me into the league and stuck by me. We’ve worked very well together, and when he landed in Dallas I thought if I’m not going to be with the Rams, Dallas would be awesome. I would love to be a Cowboy,” Zuerlein said on ESPN Dallas 103.3. “As things went, Dallas was interested, probably in part to Coach Fassel, and so that’s when I decided it doesn’t matter if I stay with the same team my whole career. I want to be where I’m going to be happiest and I think Dallas is that place.”
With Zuerlein gone, the Rams are left searching for a new kicker for the first time since 2012 when he was selected in the sixth round of the draft. They currently don’t have a kicker on the roster, and recently, Les Snead admitted it’s a problem for the team right now.
“I would be lying if I said it’s not a concern,” he said.
Snead said the Rams want to find a kicker who’s similar to Zuerlein in the fact that he can be with the Rams for a long time. That would seem to indicate the Rams are looking toward the draft in their search for a replacement.
There aren’t many free-agent options out there anyway – outside of maybe Stephen Gostkowski – so look for the Rams to use one of their late-round picks on a kicker later this month.
