Brandon Aubrey’s NFL career got off to an inauspicious start when he hit an extra point just 6:57 into his first game. It wasn’t exactly what Cowboys fans wanted to see after the team’s former kicker set an NFL record by missing four extra points in a playoff game in January.
However, Aubrey has reconciled with Cowboys fans and is aiming for a completely different NFL record.
The rookie kicker hasn’t made a missed shot since his first PAT attempt, with 18 field goals being the most without a miss to start his career. Browns kicker Travis Coons also made 18 straight field goals in his first season in 2015.
“Yeah, I didn’t think much about it. I’m just trying to go out there and do my job,” Aubrey said, via Garrett Podell of CBS Sports. “I have done it so far and hope to continue to do so in the future. I just want to go out there and do my kicks, so I’m not worried much more than doing that.”
Aubrey is not your typical NFL rookie.
He did not play college football, but instead spent his time as a defensive lineman on the Notre Dame football team. He scored a total of 15 goals in 76 games. Toronto FC selected Aubrey in the first round in 2017.
In 2022, with his football career behind him, Aubrey began his transition to football. He became the USFL’s top kicker for the Birmingham Stallions, who won the championship in 2023, by making 14 of 15 field goals and 35 PATs.
“I feel like I didn’t come in as a freshman,” Aubrey said. “I feel more like a sophomore after playing in the USFL for a few years, but I know it’s not quite the same [as the NFL]. As a kicker it’s kind of the same. All you have to worry about is your operation [the snap, hold and kick], but I didn’t really feel the same way I did at the start of my rookie year in MLS. I’m more mature. I knew what to expect. I’m ready for what it means to be a professional athlete, which wasn’t the case for my MLS rookie year.”
Aubrey has solidified the position for the Cowboys, who have been replaced by Brett Maher, Kai Forbath and Greg Zuerlein since Pro Bowler Dan Bailey became the franchise’s all-time leader in field goals made (186).