The best of both worlds: Why Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey is now the best in the NFL
It wasnât that long ago when the Dallas Cowboys had what some might call (using your Matt Foley voice) a âkicking problem.â For years we were spoiled by the great accuracy of Dan Bailey, but then things got a little shaky toward the end of his career. In a shocking final roster cut move back in 2018, the Cowboys replaced Bailey with a 29-year-old rookie named Brett Maher. The teamâs new kicker was known for having a big leg and during his time in Dallas. He set new franchise records for the longest (63 yards), second-longest (62 yards, twice), and third-longest (60 yards) in team history.
The Maher experiment was fun at times, but also frustrating because he struggled to make the easy ones. When John Fassel took over as special teams coach, he brought with him his former kicker from the Rams, Greg Zuerlein. Greg âthe legâ was an improvement but had his own accuracy issues. He played two seasons in Dallas. In another shocker, the team opted for a second helping of Maher in 2022 where he was surprisingly accurate this time around, making over 90% of his field goals. But in a strange plot twist, he had a case of the yips and missed several extra points in the Cowboys playoff win over Tampa Bay.
The Cowboys entered 2023 with so much uncertainty. The fanbase wanted them to go after free agent Robbie Gould, but the team had other plans. They liked what they had in former pro soccer player/turned USFL kicker, Brandon Aubrey. While training camp misses brought about some uneasiness, Aubrey was the leg the Cowboys decided to roll with, and little did we know what was coming.
Here is the Cowboys kicker timeline for the last 14 seasons…
Aubrey has been with the team for two seasons and each time heâs earned All-Pro honors. That is pretty good. Itâs incredible what Aubrey has done. We talk about his accomplishments, but itâs easy to lose sight of some of them because heâs achieved so much in such a short time. Having a kicker who is so accurate and with remarkable range is a great luxury and that is why we are taking a moment to capture some of Aubreyâs feats.
What a great start
It didnât take long for fans to warm up to him as all he did was knock down field goals. Literally. Through the first 16 games of his NFL career, he made every field goal he attempted. He started a perfect 35/35, which is an NFL record. Crazily, his first official miss came when a defender snuck through the line unattended and blocked the attempt in the 2023 regular-season finale against the Washington Commanders. He then proceeded to miss his very next kick when the ball doinked off the upright, but as we learned fast, those misses are few and far between.
The kidâs got a leg
Speaking of far, Aubrey wasted no time racking up the distance records. Letâs have a look at what heâs accomplished already.
Most field goals of 50 yards or more in a season (14), an NFL record
Only kicker in NFL history to have two seasons with at least 10 field goals of 50+ yards
Only kicker in NFL history to kick two field goals of at least 59 yards in a single game
Second longest field goal in NFL history (65 yards)
Thatâs a careerâs worth of records in just two seasons. Itâs pretty amazing. Honestly, many of us were expecting Justin Tuckerâs record of 66 yards to fall to Aubrey this past season because of what we saw early in the year. Aubrey knocked down a 66-yarder in the preseason and again in Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns, but neither counted because one was in the preseason and the other was negated by a delay-of-game penalty. It feels like itâs only a matter of time before Aubrey also holds the record for longest field goal.
Heâs on the money
Some kickers are deadly accurate, a la Dan Bailey. And some have a powerful leg, i.e. Brett Maher. However, itâs super rare to find a kicker who is both. Justin Tucker has been that unicorn for most of his career and will eventually wear a gold jacket because of it.
Aubrey is another guy who gives you the best of both worlds. Tucker has a career kicking percentage of 89.1% which makes him the most accurate kicker in NFL history. Aubrey is off to a good start. His success rate is actually a smidge higher than Tuckers at 89.4%, but you must have at least 100 attempts to qualify and Aubrey only has 85. If Aubrey keeps it up, itâs quite possible we could have a new âmost accurate kickerâ by the middle of next season.
The great thing about Aubreyâs accuracy is not just his high field goal percentage, but just how consistent his kicks are. When you look at his body of work, the dude is drilling them right down the middle. He rarely gives us anything to sweat and itâs pretty evident that this guy has got this kicking thing dialed in. See for yourself.
Brandon Aubrey is the best kicker in the NFL. We know about his booming leg, but he is on the money. Here is every single make this past season and look how so many kicks are right down the middle.
The Cowboys are so lucky to have him. pic.twitter.com/vb0oymUrgy
â Dan Rogers (@DannyPhantom24) January 11, 2025
