OXNARD, Calif. — A year ago, the Dallas Cowboys entered training camp with kicker being one of the biggest questions on their roster. It’s now one of the team’s greatest strengths.
Brandon Aubrey , a former Major League Soccer player, went from USFL kicker to beating out Tristan Vizcaino in a training camp battle and eventually earning first-team All-Pro in his rookie season. Advertisement No kicker made more field goals (36) than Aubrey last season. No one was better from 50-plus yards (10-for-10).
And this was done while setting the NFL record for the most field goals made in a row to start a career with 35. How does he plan on topping his first season? “I don’t know if I’m going to even worry about what I did last year,” he said earlier this month. “I’m 0 for 0 this year.
Go out there and try to make one kick at a time and just keep that same mentality that I need to earn my job each and every week.” The pressure of an elite encore performance doesn’t seem to be bothering him. Aubrey said there’s a lot less stress compared to a year ago when he was competing for a job.
He proved that Saturday night when he made the longest field goal of his career. As time expired in the first half of Dallas’ preseason game with the Las Vegas Raiders , Aubrey drilled a 66-yarder that looked like it would’ve been good from more than 70 yards. If it had occurred in a regular-season game, it would have tied the NFL record, which was set by Baltimore ’s Justin Tuc.