Dallas Cowboys Kicker Controversy? Brandon Aubrey Nails It
FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys have had uncertainty at the kicker position seemingly ever since Dan Bailey lost his mojo in 2017 after suffering an injury in Week 7. The Cowboys cut Bailey in September of the following season - a surprising move at the time - and he ultimately moved on to Minnesota.
A revolving door of kickers came through The Star until Brett Maher's third stint with the team ended after accuracy concerns, and he was cut again last offseason - again, in a somewhat surprising move to many at the time.
The Cowboys instead decided to find their next kicker in the preseason with Tristan Vizcaino and former USFL and soccer standout Brandon Aubrey.
Brandon Aubrey (17)
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Maher has been bouncing around and was released by the Rams on Tuesday, indicating the Cowboys made the right decision. And after deciding on Aubrey for the 2023 season, Dallas has no regrets.
As team owner Jerry Jones said recently, "I think we got us a kicker!''
Through the first seven weeks of the season, the McKinney native Aubrey has been spectacular. He's made every single one of his field goal attempts - a perfect 16-for-16 - one of only five kickers in the league to be at 100 percent. He's been reliable from distance too where he's two-for-two with a long of 55 yards. He's new to the game of football; again, he was a soccer player for most of his life. But now, he just the sixth kicker in NFL history to begin his career 16-for-16 or better.
One of the better aspects of Maher's game was his high rate of touchbacks on kickoffs. Aubrey has been equally effective there, with a 97.2 percent touchback rate, good enough for fifth in the league.
While the Cowboys have been criticized for being stubborn at times with certain position groups, at least for 2023, they've nailed the kicker position.
