You’re sitting on your couch, watching the Dallas Cowboys, and they stall out at the opponent's 45-yard line. Normally, that’s "no man's land." Too far for a realistic field goal, too close to punt without it being a touchback. But then Brandon Aubrey trots onto the field. He doesn't look stressed. He just swings that soccer-trained leg, and suddenly, three points appear on the board from 60-plus yards out.
It feels illegal. Honestly, having Brandon Aubrey on the Dallas Cowboys roster in 2026 is like playing a video game with the sliders turned all the way up. We aren't just talking about a "good" kicker anymore. We are talking about a guy who has fundamentally changed how Mike McCarthy calls a game.
The MLS Rejection That Changed Everything
Most NFL kickers spent their teenage years at specialized camps, obsessing over "hold times" and "operation speeds." Not Aubrey. He was a defender. A first-round pick for Toronto FC in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, actually. But soccer didn't love him back. He was cut, bounced around the USL with Bethlehem Steel, and eventually found himself working as a software engineer.
Imagine that. One of the most feared weapons in professional football was recently sitting behind a desk, probably debugging code.
The story goes that he was watching an NFL game with his wife, Jenn, and she casually mentioned he could probably kick just as well as the guys on the screen. Most people would laugh that off. Aubrey didn't. He spent the next few years grinding in obscurity, eventually landing with the Birmingham Stallions in the USFL. By the time the Brandon Aubrey Dallas Cowboys era began in 2023, he wasn't just some "soccer guy"—he was a refined specialist with a leg made of literal iron.
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Breaking the 60-Yard Barrier (Repeatedly)
People used to think a 60-yard field goal was a once-in-a-season miracle. Aubrey treats them like chip shots.
As of early 2026, Aubrey has already cemented himself as the most prolific long-distance kicker the league has ever seen. During the 2024 and 2025 seasons, he didn't just break records; he shattered the expectation of what "scoring range" means. In late 2025, he became the first player in NFL history to make six career field goals from 60 yards or longer.
- September 2025: Nailed a 64-yarder against the Giants to force overtime.
- October 2025: Drilled a 61-yarder against Washington.
- Career Accuracy: He maintains a career field goal percentage north of 88%, ranking him among the top five most accurate kickers in the history of the sport.
The sheer physics of what he does is absurd. Because of his soccer background, his swing is more "wraparound" than the traditional straight-on toe-poke. This gives the ball a flatter, faster trajectory. When it hits the net, it’s usually still rising.
The Fantasy Football Gold Mine
If you've played fantasy football over the last two seasons, you know the "Aubrey Strategy." You don't wait for the last round to pick a kicker. You reach for Brandon Aubrey in the 8th or 9th round, and your league-mates laugh at you.
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Then, Monday morning comes, and Aubrey has 18 points.
In the 2025 season alone, Aubrey finished as the K1 in almost every format, averaging over 11 points per game. He’s basically a mid-tier WR2 hidden in your kicker slot. Because the Cowboys' offense—led by Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb—is often moving the ball but occasionally hitting a wall in the red zone, Aubrey gets a ridiculous amount of volume.
He finished 2025 with 36 made field goals on 42 attempts. When you factor in the "long distance bonus" many leagues use, he’s arguably one of the most valuable assets in the game.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Misses
Look, nobody is perfect. Aubrey had a few hiccups in 2025, specifically during a weird stretch in November where he missed a couple of shorter tries. Critics immediately started whispering about "the slump."
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But here’s the nuance: Aubrey is often asked to kick in conditions or at distances that other coaches wouldn't even attempt. When a coach asks you to try a 66-yarder into a breeze, the "percentage" doesn't matter. It's a calculated gamble. Despite the occasional miss, his "expected points added" (EPA) remains off the charts.
He isn't just a kicker; he’s a defensive strategist. By pinning teams back with touchbacks (he had 79 in 2025) or scoring from the logo, he forces opposing coaches to play a totally different game.
The Future: Is a 70-Yarder Possible?
We’ve seen him hit from 66 in preseason. We’ve seen him narrowly miss from 71. The question isn't if he can do it, but when the situation will arise. In the thin air of a place like Denver or even the controlled environment of AT&T Stadium, Aubrey has the leg speed to hit a 70-yarder.
For the Dallas Cowboys, he is the ultimate security blanket. In a league where games are decided by three points or less nearly 50% of the time, having a guy who can score from his own side of the field is a massive competitive advantage.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Analysts
- Watch the 45-yard line: In Cowboys games, the "scoring zone" now starts at the opponent's 48-yard line. If they cross that, they are in Aubrey's range.
- Rethink the Kicker Value: If you are building a roster (real or fantasy), Aubrey proves that an elite specialist is worth more than a rotational bench player.
- Appreciate the Path: Next time you're frustrated with your career, remember the software engineer who became an All-Pro kicker in his late 20s.
Brandon Aubrey is the best kicker in the NFL right now. It isn't really a debate. Whether he's bailing out a stalled drive or etching his name further into the record books, he’s become the most consistent thing in Dallas.