Cowboys Sign Former Soccer Player, USFL Standout to Compete for Kicking Job
With the start of training camp just under three weeks away, the Cowboys' ongoing search for a kicker reportedly added some stiff competition on Thursday with the signing of a former USFL standout and MLS draft pick.
Dallas agreed to a deal with kicker Brandon Aubrey, a member of the USFL’s Birmingham Stallions for the past two seasons, the team announced. Aubrey, 28, is expected to compete with veteran kicker Tristan Vizcaino, 26, for the starting job during training camp, which is set to begin on July 26 in Oxnard, Calif.
A native of Plano, Texas, Aubrey marks an outside-the-box signing for America’s Team, though the two-time USFL champion could prove to be a worthwhile addition if he wins the gig.
Aubrey’s last season with the Stallions saw the former, four-year Notre Dame soccer standout earn all-USFL honors in 2022 after converting 14 of 15 field goals and all 35 PATs. After scoring 15 goals in 76 appearances in college, Aubrey was selected 21st overall by MLS’s Toronto FC in 2017, but did not play for the club and later left the sport in 2018.
Dallas’s quest for a kicker has been a story all offseason after team brass opted not to re-sign 2022 starter and fourth-year pro Brett Maher, who also spent his first two seasons with the club. Maher logged a franchise-record 137 points last season but was widely panned during the postseason after missing five point-after attempts.