Brandon Aubrey (10) Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

Cowboys bring in USFL star to compete for kicking job

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated 7/6/23

Kicker Brandon Aubrey has one heck of an opportunity in front of him.

After being drafted as a 32nd-round pick in 2022 by the Birmingham Stallions of the USFL, Aubrey now has a chance to play NFL football — and not just for any team either.

The Dallas Cowboys announced on Thursday that they signed Aubrey. He'll compete for the starting kicking job in training camp with Tristan Vizcaino, who was a practice squad player last season for Dallas behind Brett Maher.

2x USFL Champion and former @USFLStallions K @Brandon_Aubrey has signed with the Dallas Cowboys pic.twitter.com/XClUt8zdno
— USFL (@USFL) July 6, 2023

Aubrey was a star in the USFL, completing 14-of-15 field goal attempts in 2023 while going a perfect 35-for-35 on extra points.

A native of Plano, Texas, Aubrey was a soccer star for Notre Dame, scoring 15 goals in four years for the Fighting Irish. He was such a good college soccer player that he was actually selected in the first round of the 2017 MLS Draft by Toronto FC, but his professional career lasted only a year.

Signing Aubrey is a bit of an interesting move from Dallas considering veteran kickers such as Robbie Gould and Mason Crosby are still available. Maher is also a free agent, but it seems doubtful that Dallas brings him back after a postseason that saw him miss five extra-point tries after coming down with an apparent case of "the yips."

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