Did Cowboys Kicker Brandon Aubrey Seal Starting Job?
Throughout the entire offseason, one of the biggest questions surrounding the Dallas Cowboys has been who would be the team's new kicker.
The Cowboys parted ways with last year's kicker Brett Maher after a tough showing in last season's playoffs, and he eventually signed with the Denver Broncos months later. Dallas initially brought up Tristan Vizcaino from the practice squad, but later signed USFL star Brandon Aubrey to bring in some added competition. On Aug. 7, the Cowboys cut Vizcaino, leaving Aubrey as the only kicker on the roster.
That said, the Cowboys weren't just going to hand Aubrey the starting job on a silver platter. The 28-year-old still had to audition for the role throughout the preseason, and that audition has now come to an end after the Cowboys' 31-16 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Saturday's preseason finale. So, did he do enough to move forward as the starter?
Aubrey got off to a relatively slow start to his Cowboys tenure. He made his only field goal, which came from 29 yards out, and two of three extra points in a loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Aug. 12, then made both extra points with no field goal attempts the following week against the Seattle Seahawks.
Against the Raiders, though, the Cowboys got their best look at Aubrey so far. He missed his first field goal wide left from 59 yards out, but made up for it by drilling another kick from the same distance later on. The former Birmingham Stallions kicker also made all four PATs to complete an impressive night.
Through the preseason, Aubrey showed that he has enough power and accuracy to be a serviceable kicker at the NFL level. The Cowboys stated that they were comfortable with Aubrey starting before the preseason kicked off, and his preseason performance seemingly reinforced that confidence.
Aubrey may be the only kicker on the roster now, but the Cowboys could still theoretically sign another to add some competition. (They are of course aware of free agents like Robbie Gould, Mason Crosby and Ryan Succup.)
With Aubrey's solid performance throughout the preseason, though, it appears that won't be necessary, for now at least.
You can find Jonathan Alfano on Twitter @JonAlfano_News
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