Cowboys’ Special Teams Peaks and Valleys

When it comes to the special teams unit for the Dallas Cowboys, it simply cannot be so readily lumped into a category by way of a singular descriptor. While the special teams offense has been exceptional, the defense has been an overall abomination. This dichotomy wears the lopsided theme of the regular offensive and defensive units like a glove.

A Star is Born

The immediate go-to is that the Cowboys have the best kicker in the league in Brandon Aubrey. Of course, describing someone as “the best” is obviously subjective. But he’s literally the best kicker in the league when applying volume, distance and accuracy into the same formula. While he doesn’t have the longest kick of the season, he broke two records during the game vs. the Detroit Lions. One was for most field goals made over 55 yards in a single game. The other was for the most 60+ yarders in a season. He’s 27 for 29 and sporting 93% accuracy with a long of 64 yards in 2025. He’s money in the bank game after game and has also been known to kick 70 yarders in practice. Frankly, he makes up for a good chunk of the team’s overall shortcomings. And he’s in a contract year on a bargain deal. This is a no-brainer for Jerry Jones. Aubrey simply must be re-signed.

The Valleys

While Aubrey’s shine may be gleaming, the coverage team is filthy and mucked up by comparison. They gave up more return yards (261) in that one game against the Lions than any other team so far this season, and likely the remainder of it. When the average starting position for the opposing team is at the 42-yard line, there are going to be problems—and as 47.7 million fans bore witness to, there were problems indeed.

Despite the occasional heroic play here and there throughout the season, they’ve sported an awful coverage team on the regular. Bad angles and missed tackles render the unit a liability. At current they’ve coughed up the fourth most return yards in the league.

The once magical special teams savior C.J. Goodwin is now 35 years old. He can still ball out and is actually approaching a career high in tackles with 15. But gone are the days of high-risk, high reward fakes and aggression of Bones Fassel and Mike McCarthey. Everyone remembers that onside Watermelon Kick against the Falcons. Nowadays, you have to declare the onsider, though it doesn’t have to be at the end of the game as it did in 2024—not that it makes it any more exciting. It still never seems to work. Nick Sorensen has since taken the reins as the Special Teams Coordinator in the kinder and gentler operation the NFL forces on all teams in 2025.

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