The Cowboys’ kicking competition has, at least for now, come to an end. Dallas is moving on from Tristan Vizcaino, reports Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. That leaves only one kicker on the active roster.
Vizcaino joined the Cowboys in January after incumbent Brett Maher missed four extra points in the team’s wild-card victory. The latter is no longer in the picture, but it was clear that Vizcaino would not be unopposed during the offseason as Dallas looked for a long-term solution at the position.
The 27-year-old has seen game time with four different teams, but his longest stretch of action in one place has been only six games (with the Chargers in 2021). Vizcaino has converted 11 of his 12 career field goal attempts, but he was unable to carry over that success during this offseason. He went a combined 22-for-35 during training camp, as noted by ESPN’s Todd Archer. That total includes a poor showing during Saturday’s practice. As a result, the Cowboys have quickly decided to cut bait.
Monday’s move leaves Brandon Aubrey as the only kicker on the roster at the moment, though he too struggled over the weekend. As Gehlken recently noted, Aubrey (who signed in July after spending time in the USFL) has been the more consistent performer during camp, making it little surprise that he is still in the fold. The 28-year-old has yet to play a regular-season NFL game, however, so further moves at the position should be expected.
The Cowboys demonstrated with the Aubrey addition that they are willing to look at options from the XFL and USFL. A number of veterans with considerable NFL experience are still on the market, though, including Robbie Gould, Mason Crosby and Ryan Succop. Dallas currently has just under $19.5M in cap space, so it will have plenty of spending power if it looks to add a more experienced competitor for Aubrey. Vizcaino, meanwhile, will look to find another new opportunity with training camps well underway around the league.
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