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Brandon Aubrey has signed a historic deal with the Dallas Cowboys, fulfilling a lifelong dream to play for his hometown team. After a unique journey from soccer to football, Aubrey has quickly become one of the league's top kickers.
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In the end, this deal was great for Brandon Aubrey and the Dallas Cowboys
âI grew up here and I love the organization,â Aubrey said. âI wanted to be back.â
A dutiful reminder of Aubreyâs road to now is in order here, most certainly:
Nine years ago, Aubrey was playing professional soccer in Toronto.
Eight years ago, he was in Pennsylvania looking to extend his soccer career, but that didnât go as planned either, and he wound up using his Notre Dame degree to become a software engineer.
Seven years ago, Aubrey heard four fateful words that changed his lifeâs trajectory, when he and his wife watched an NFL kicker miss a field goal only for her to turn to him and say, âYou could do that.â
Brandon Aubrey played professional soccer in Toronto and later became a software engineer before transitioning to football.
Aubrey was discovered by Cowboys' special teams coordinator John Fassel while playing for the UFL's Birmingham Stallions, where he was the scoring leader.
Aubrey has quickly established himself as one of the league's best kickers, contributing significantly to the team's success.
The deal secures Aubrey's financial future and solidifies his position with the Cowboys, a team he has always wanted to play for.

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He went to a local football field, discovered he could make 60-yarders (easily), and linked with Brian Egan, former Mississippi State kicker and kicking coach, three times a week, for three years, before being brought on by the UFLâs Birmingham Stallions as their placekicker, the USFL scoring leader in the same season he was named to the All-USFL team (2022)..
Thatâs where John âBonesâ Fassel, the special teams coordinator for the Cowboys at the time, discovered him and brought him home to Dallas â or, more accurately, to Southern California to compete with Tristan Vizcaino and Lirim Hajrullahu in training camp in Oxnard.
Hajrullahu was released, and Vizcaino eventually lost out to Aubrey and, four years ago, the young boy from Plano was heading back to Dallas, where the former NFL scoring leader (2023) has already become one of the leagueâs best kickers of all-time; and with only three seasons on his resume; and, one day ago (from this article being written), Aubrey made history, securing his familyâs future in the process.
The mock drafts are starting to point in the same direction for Dallas.
**Projected trade**
**Dallas receives:**Â 6th overall, 39th overall
**Cleveland receives:**Â 12th overall, 20th overall, 152nd overall
**Round 1, 6th overall (via Cleveland)**
**The pick: Ohio State S Caleb Downs**
In this mock draft, just as we did with our full first-round mock draft the other day, we packaged the Cowboysâ two firsts and a fifth-round pick and traded it to the Cleveland Browns for the 6th overall pick and the 39th pick. Iâm skeptical the Cowboys will actually move up, but there are only a handful of elite defenders in this draft for a defense that needs instant impact.
Downs, in my opinion, is not only one of the best prospects in the draft, he might be a perfect extension of new defensive coordinator Christian Parker. Downs is smart, intuitive, and versatile â all things that Parker covets. They say the first pick of a head coachâs tenure can tell you a lot about their draft strategy. Maybe this year, the Cowboysâ first pick could tell a lot about the help they want to get their defensive coordinator.
Downs could fall to No. 12. The same could go for LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane or Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles. The Cowboys might wait and hope one of them falls. I just donât think itâs a risk they can afford to take.
**Round 2, 39th overall (via Cleveland)**
**The pick: Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez**
Thereâs a good chance that Rodriguez is gone by this point. Thereâs a chance other linebackers could go before him, however, like Georgiaâs C.J. Allen or Texas linebacker Anthony Hill. I also think the Cowboys will be on the hunt for an edge early, which could change their thinking here. But Rodriguez just fits with the Cowboys. They have a need at the position. They need to force more turnovers, and no one forced more fumbles in college football last year. They went to dinner with him in Lubbockand got to know him through the draft process. If they can, and it makes sense, itâs hard for me to think they donât end up with Rodriguez somehow.
If the Cowboys lose out on all their defensive options at No. 12, donât be shocked if they pivot to offense.
For years, Dallas Cowboys vice president of player personnel Will McClay has hammered the point of having to take the âbest player availableâ, or âBPAâ, when drafting rather than reaching for needs on a roster.
The perfect example is from 2025 when the Cowboys took guard Tyler Booker with the No. 12 overall pick rather than a wide receiver such as Emeka Egbuka or Matthew Golden. Even though there was a case to be made to take a guard to slide in for the retired Zack Martin, wide receiver was by far and away the bigger need. But, BPA.
Weâve seen the concept show up more in the second round in recent years by selecting defensive ends Donovan Ezeiruaku and Marshawn Kneeland in the last two drafts even with Micah Parsons in the building (maybe they knew something) and other bigger needs existing.
Now, even in 2026 with ginormous needs at multiple defensive positions such as linebacker, cornerback and defensive end, this concept could still show up in the first round.
Letâs play out a theoretical scenario for a moment. Letâs say the premier defenders are off the board when the No. 12 overall pick rolls around (LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane, Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles, Ohio State safety Caleb Downs), but a talented wide receiver in Arizona Stateâs Jordyn Tyson or Ohio Stateâs Carnell Tate is staring down the pipe as a clear game-changing weapon in the pass game.
âIâm not saying weâre for sure going to pick defense,â executive vice president Stephen Jones said in the end-of-season press conference in January. âIf CeeDee Lamb is sitting there again, you have to look at it.â
Lamb is possibly the best example of the Cowboys not reaching for need, taking the best player available and it working out pretty well for them in the end. Dallas had no expectation of Lamb making it all the way to the No. 17 overall selection in the 2020 draft, but it fell just right for the pick to be made. Even with Amari Cooper in the building and similar strong defensive needs prevalent in that draft as they are today, it was an easy pick for the front office.
Would the New York Giants be willing to trade an edge rusher to a division rival?
The Cowboysâ biggest struggles last year came on the defensive side of the ball. They ranked 30th in total yards per game allowed (377) and 32nd in points per game allowed (30.1).
Owner/general manager Jerry Jones dove into the offseason looking to make improvements. Two of the biggest moves included signing safety Jalen Thompson to a three-year, $33 million deal and trading a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Green Bay Packers for EDGE Rashan Gary.
However, with the 2026 NFL Draft approaching, the Cowboys may be looking to make another move. Bleacher Reportâs Alex Kay predicts Dallas will trade for New York Giants EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux.
âNew York isnât likely to garner any offers better than a late-Day 2 or early-Day 3 pick for his services,â Kay wrote. âDallas has several draft picks in this range it could use to make a run at Thibodeaux, including Nos. 92 and 112 overall⊠Trading for Thibodeaux is the type of gamble the Cowboys must make if they are going to make significant defensive strides in 2026 following last yearâs abysmal showing.â
Thibodeaux appeared in 10 games for the Giants last season, racking up 25 tackles, 2.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, nine quarterback hits, 11 pressures and two pass deflections. It wasnât an extremely productive year, but his 11.5 sacks back in 2023 do show the ability to have more of an impact.
As Kay noted, it likely wouldnât take more than a mid-round pick to acquire him, making it a low-risk move. The Cowboys also wouldnât be tied to the pass rusher long-term. Thibodeaux is set to hit free agency after the 2026 season, playing on a $14.75 million fifth-year option.
A move like this could give Dallas a much-needed boost off the edge, adding a young playmaker to their defensive front before the 2026 season. ***Daily Discussion Question:* What are the circumstances where you would be okay with offense at 12?**