Brandon Aubrey named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week
The NFL honored Brandon Aubrey and his big leg with NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. And to think, this rookie Cowboys kicker has won the award twice this season.
It’s difficult to find someone more worthy than Aubrey. In the Cowboys 33-13 win over the Eagles Sunday night at AT&T Stadium, the young Cowboys star hit from 60, 59, 45 and 50 yards. It’s the first time in NFL history that a kicker made multiple field goals of at least 59 yards in the same game.
Aubrey also won the weekly honor in week eight.
The Cowboys touted the news via social media.
Besides Brandon Aubrey, the other NFC winners included Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito and Vikings linebacker Ivan Pace. DeVito, the undrafted rookie free agent, helped lead his team to a 24-22 upset of the Packers. Pace made 13 tackles with a sack in Minnesota’s 3-0 win over the Raiders.
Although Aubrey is a rookie, don’t call him a first-year player. The 28-year-old is nowhere near that. Rather, he’s got a story about perseverance that saw him go from soccer player at Notre Dame, to the MLS, to a brief career as a software engineer, to the USFL and finally, the NFL.
Signing with the Cowboys, although probably unexpected, seemed like such a natural move. He grew up in Plano, in the North Dallas area, not that far from the Cowboys complex. His passion was soccer growing up. But he evolved into a placekicker after his pro soccer career ended. He tried the real world in hopes he could teach himself how to be an NFL kicker.
“Going back three years, working as a software engineer and grinding away in my off time trying to get an opportunity, the USFL comes around,” Aubrey told reporters after the Cowboys beat the Eagles. “I’m very grateful for that.
“These are my wildest dreams and they’ve come true. Just trying to keep going.”
Aubrey leaned into a cliche to explain his success. “Just taking it one kick at a time and I know I can make any of the kicks that they’ve asked me to do,” he said. “Going out there and making it is something I expect to do at this point.”
The Cowboys expect him to make those long-distance kicks as well. He’s a perfect 30 for 30 in field goals. Harrison Butker with the Chiefs is the only other full-time NFL kicker with 100 percent field goal accuracy.
Oddly enough, Aubrey’s stumbles have come on extra points. But he’s eight of eight from 50 yards or longer. Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins also is eight-for-eight from 50 and beyond.