In May, Dallas special team coach John Fassel said the team would consider “everyone on earth” for their joband after going through all the applications, it looks like the Cowboys have finally found their man.
The team has agreed to a contract with former USFL standout Brandon Aubrey, who has never kicked in an NFL game before. Rather than going with someone who has NFL experience like Mason Crosby or Robbie Gould, the Cowboys decided to take an unconventional path with their latest signing by adding a player who played football most of his life before he switched to football in 2022.
Aubrey spent two seasons in the USFL, but before that he was a football player. From 2013 to 2016, Aubrey was at Notre Dame, playing soccer for the Fighting Irish. After leaving college, Aubrey was drafted, but not in the NFL. In 2017, Toronto FC made Aubrey the 21st overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft.
After spending only one season in Toronto, Aubrey tried to keep his football career alive for some time, but eventually decided to give it up so he could try another sport. In 2022, his professional football career officially began when the Birmingham Stallions selected him with the 260th overall pick in the USFL Draft.
During his two seasons in Birmingham, Aubrey was one of the best kickers in the USFL as he won two titles with the Stallions. The 28-year-old had a near-perfect 2023 season, going 14-of-15 on field goals and a perfect 35-of-35 on extra points, likely appealing to a Cowboys team that had a thrilling nightmare in the playoffs last season when Brett Maher hit just one of six extra runs in two games.
The stallions released Aubrey of his contract on July 3which paved the way for his signing on Thursday.
Aubrey will now compete with Tristan Vizcaino for the Cowboys job. Vizcaino has played a total of 10 NFL games over the past three seasons, scoring 91.7% of his field goals in that span. It will be interesting to see how the competition plays out, especially since Aubrey is such an unknown great.
The two biggest questions surrounding Aubrey heading into training camp are: can he handle the pressure that comes with the NFL? And can it handle kicks from a great distance?
Although he went 14 of 15 in the USFL this season, his longest punt was from 49 yards (his only miss came from past 50). If Aubrey proves he can hit long kicks and proves he can handle the pressure of kicking in the NFL, then he has a good chance of making the Cowboys roster.