Getty Birmingham Stallions Colby Wadman holds the ball as Brandon Aubrey kicks an extra point.
The Dallas Cowboys have added Brandon Aubrey to their kicking battle and he has an interesting background with limited experience on the gridiron.
Aubrey most recently played for the Birmingham Stallions in the USFL. He was the league’s most reliable kicker in 2022, connecting on 82 percent of his field goals (18 of 22) and hitting 22 of 24 PATs.
Aubrey had another strong season with the Stallions this year, hitting 14 of 15 field goals and all 35 of his extra points. The Stallions have won the last two USFL championships and Aubrey was named All-USFL in 2022.
Prior to playing in the USFL, Aubrey was focusing on a soccer career. He went to Notre Dame but played soccer, not football. Aubrey was drafted 21st overall by Toronto FC in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft. He debuted professionally in March of 2017, with Toronto’s USL affiliate team in a match against Phoenix Rising FC.
Following the 2017 season, Toronto released Aubrey, who then joined Bethlehem Steel, a USL club. However, Bethlehem Steel let him go at the conclusion of the 2018 season.
Aubrey is not the first USFL standout that the Cowboys have brought on. Last season Dallas signed speedy return man KaVontae Turpin, who was the league’s MVP.
Brandon Aubrey Will Compete With Tristan Vizcaino for Kicker Job
Aubrey will compete for the starting role with Tristan Vizcaino, who was originally brought on during the postseason last year as an insurance policy with Brett Maher struggling. He never saw action but the Cowboys decided to bring him back this offseason.
Vizcaino has hit 11 of 12 of his career field goal attempts and 15 of 20 extra-point tries over four NFL seasons. Despite his lack of experience, Vizcaino is well-traveled, having kicked for four teams and being a part of even more practice squads.
Cowboys special teams coach John Fassel said the team would look far and wide for options to compete with Vizcaino.
“We have Tristan on the roster. Anybody else on Earth who is not on the team right now, is under consideration,” Fassel said, via the Cowboys website. “That’s everyone really. I think we have a lot of different guys that we’re still looking at — XFL, USFL, veterans on the street, younger guys who still haven’t found their way.”
The Cowboys did not seriously consider any veterans on the market, per Todd Archer of ESPN.
“The Cowboys did not take a hard look at the veteran free agent market, which includes Robbie Gould and Mason Crosby, and last year’s kicker, Brett Maher, was not inclined to re-sign with the team after putting up a franchise-record 137 points but struggling in the playoffs by missing five point-after attempts,” Archer reported after the signing of Aubrey.
Cowboys Were Eyeing Kicker in the NFL Draft
The Cowboys had hoped to draft a kicker and had their eyes on Jake Moody out of Michigan. However, Moody was swept up by the San Francisco 49ers with the 99th overall pick, making him the highest-selected kicker since 2016.
“It’d be nice to start with a young guy that can go out there and be successful and have the right nervous system to be successful and have a guy around here for 3-4 years. That’d be the perfect fit,” Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones said ahead of the draft.
The Cowboys are looking for some stability at the position after some up-and-down years. It seemed like Maher could hang around a while, but his postseason debacle was too rough for Dallas to overlook.
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Cowboys Sign Former Pro Soccer Player to Compete for Kicking Job