Brandon Aubrey opens up about historic deal with hometown Cowboys – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com
In the end, this deal was great for Brandon Aubrey and the Dallas Cowboys
“I grew up here and I love the organization,” Aubrey said. “I wanted to be back.”
A dutiful reminder of Aubrey’s 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 didn’t 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 life’s trajectory, when he and his wife watched an NFL kicker miss a field goal only for her to turn to him and say, ‘You could do that.”
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 UFL’s Birmingham Stallions as their placekicker, the USFL scoring leader in the same season he was named to the All-USFL team (2022)..
That’s where John “Bones” Fassel, the special teams coordinator for the Cowboys at the time, discovered him and brought him home to Dallas — 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 league’s 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 family’s future in the process.
Joseph Hoyt’s final 7-round mock draft: Early trade leads Cowboys to instant impact players – Joseph Hoyt, Dallas Morning News
The mock drafts are starting to point in the same direction for Dallas.
Projected trade
Dallas receives: 6th overall, 39th overall
Cleveland receives: 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 Cowboys’ two firsts and a fifth-round pick and traded it to the Cleveland Browns for the 6th overall pick and the 39th pick. I’m 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 — all things that Parker covets. They say the first pick of a head coach’s tenure can tell you a lot about their draft strategy. Maybe this year, the Cowboys’ 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 don’t think it’s a risk they can afford to take.
Round 2, 39th overall (via Cleveland)
The pick: Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez
There’s a good chance that Rodriguez is gone by this point. There’s a chance other linebackers could go before him, however, like Georgia’s 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 Lubbock and got to know him through the draft process. If they can, and it makes sense, it’s hard for me to think they don’t end up with Rodriguez somehow.
Don’t be surprised if the Cowboys’ ‘BPA’ strategy shows up in the first round – Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
If the Cowboys lose out on all their defensive options at No. 12, don’t 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 “best player available”, or “BPA”, 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.
We’ve 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.
Let’s play out a theoretical scenario for a moment. Let’s 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 State’s Jordyn Tyson or Ohio State’s Carnell Tate is staring down the pipe as a clear game-changing weapon in the pass game.
“I’m not saying we’re for sure going to pick defense,” executive vice president Stephen Jones said in the end-of-season press conference in January. “If CeeDee Lamb is sitting there again, you have to look at it.”
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.
Cowboys Predicted to Acquire $14 Million Pass Rusher – Nate Lunak, Athlon Sports
Would the New York Giants be willing to trade an edge rusher to a division rival?
The Cowboys’ 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 Report’s Alex Kay predicts Dallas will trade for New York Giants EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux.
“New York isn’t likely to garner any offers better than a late-Day 2 or early-Day 3 pick for his services,” Kay wrote. “Dallas 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 year’s abysmal showing.”
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 wasn’t 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 wouldn’t take more than a mid-round pick to acquire him, making it a low-risk move. The Cowboys also wouldn’t 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?
