The newest high-scoring member of the Dallas Cowboys has never even scored a touchdown, but that doesn’t mean Brandon Aubrey hasn’t made a huge impact as the team’s starting kicker. Even though he’s a rookie, Aubrey hasn’t felt the typical pressures of playing in the NFL.
That’s become obvious, as he’s yet to miss a field goal all season, going a perfect 30-for-30 across 13 games. For the record, Aubrey has missed three extra points, but considering he’s made 39 others, the Cowboys will take what they can get.
As a 28-year-old rookie, Aubrey’s path to the NFL has been unique. While the Plano, Texas native is an NFL kicker today, Aubrey previously played professional soccer as a defender.
Back in 2017, Aubrey was a first-round draft pick by Toronto FC of Major League Soccer, where he played for the reserve team. Two years later, his days playing soccer were over, and Aubrey made the decision to put his Notre Dame degree to good use by becoming a software engineer.
But then, in 2019, when watching an NFL game on the couch, he saw a kicker miss a field goal, and his wife said, “You could do that.” That comment sparked a flame inside Aubrey, and he began training with a kicking coach to help him take a crack at booting footballs instead of soccer balls.
Three years after he started training rigorously, Aubrey got drafted by the USFL’s Birmingham Stallions. Amazingly, Aubrey led the league in field goals and extra points and was named to the All-USFL team. He returned to the Stallions for another season and proceeded to lead the USFL in extra point percentage again, only this time he didn’t miss, connecting on all 35 attempts.
Aubrey’s work with the USFL then got him noticed by NFL scouts. The Stallions eventually cut Aubrey loose back in July, and three days later, he joined the Dallas Cowboys.
Yet, Aubrey still had work to do, as he was still the unproven ‘kid’ who had never made, or attempted an NFL kick before. He was great in the USFL, sure, but what about the big leagues?
Aubrey found himself in a preseason competition with Tristan Vizcaino, who’s made 9-of-10 of his NFL kicks in his career. Yet, the Cowboys ultimately determined Aubrey won the competition, and Vizcaino was let go before the season kicked off, leaving the starting kicking job all to the first-year pro.
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Brandon Aubrey says making a 70-yard field goal is doable, for him
Ever since Aubrey got his chance in the NFL, the Cowboys kicker hasn’t looked back. In Week 9, Aubrey made NFL history by setting a new record for the most consecutive field goals made to start a career, making 19 kicks in a row.
But kicking in the NFL isn’t just about accuracy. It’s also about having enough leg strength to make kicks from distance. That hasn’t been a problem for Aubrey, either.
In Week 14, he set another NFL record, becoming the first kicker to drill two field goals from 59 or more yards in the same game.
Now, as he told The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, Aubrey believes he could set another NFL record for the longest field goal in league history. The mark is currently held by future Hall of Fame Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker at 66 yards, but Aubrey says he can stretch that to 70 yards.
So far, the longest kick Aubrey has made in-game came from 60 yards, but to add another ten more on top of that? We’d be pleased to see that play out too.
