The Dallas Cowboys hope their kicking woes are now a thing of the past.
The Cowboys have signed standout USFL kicker Brandon Aubrey. A native of nearby Plano, Texas, Aubrey played for the USFL champion Birmingham Stallions the past two seasons.
Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News reports that Aubrey is the favorite to win the starting job, although Tristan Vizcaino will compete for the position.
Cowboys have new favorite to be their Week 1 kicker: USFL standout Brandon Aubrey has been signed. Plano native and ex-pro soccer player made 14 of 15 FGs with Birmingham Stallions this seasons. Won league title with them the past two years. K Tristan Vizcaino also in camp mix. https://t.co/TBxfw2JxaL
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) July 6, 2023
Kicking has been a trouble spot for the Cowboys in recent seasons. The team released veteran Greg Zuerlein following the 2021 season, after he missed six field goals and six extra poits.
In the Cowboys’ win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFC Wild-Card Playoff game in January, Brett Maher set a dubious NFL record by missing four consecutive extra point attempts. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones noted that the team would go “back to the drawing board” in terms of a kicker. Maher became an unrestricted free agent after the season.
The Cowboys have to be hoping the third time is the charm, as they eye their third primary kicker in three years. The 28-year-old Aubrey played soccer at Notre Dame, and was a third-team All-American. He went on to play a couple of seasons in the United Soccer League. He hit 14-of-15 field goals for the Stallions last season.
[Michael Gehlken, Dallas Morning News]
