Dallas Cowboys still have a kicker problem. Why haven’t they signed a veteran option?
Seemingly every year, the Dallas Cowboys come to training camp with questions at kicker due to an interest in going with a young player on the cheap.
And this year was no different as Tristan Viscaino, in his second year out of Washington, and Brandon Aubrey, a rookie from Notre Dame, opened camp as the only two kickers on the roster.
Never mind that proven veterans were and are still available in free agency, including Mason Crosby and Robbie Gould.
The veteran option move closer to fruition on Monday when the Cowboys cut Viscaino, who has struggled through the first two weeks of training camp.
Vizcaino went 22 of 35 in the first eight padded practices of training camp. He was 4 of 8 on Saturday.
The team will focus on Aubrey, giving him all the reps and opportunities in practice and the first preseason game to see what he can do. Aubrey needs to show considerable improvement himself. He has gone 26 of 35 on field goals in camp so far.
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy making the decision on Viscaino now and focusing on Aubrey gives them time to evaluate him and then push the button for a veteran, if necessary.
“The option of a veteran kicker, that’s still a possibility,” McCarthy said. “We are always open for business.”
Veteran options include Robbie Gould and Mason Crosby, both available free agents.
Gould, 40, made 27 field goals in 2022 for the San Francisco 49ers, converting on 84.4% of his 32 attempts. And for the third time in the last four years, Gould missed just one extra point.
McCarthy has experience with Crosby from his time with the Green Bay Packers. Crosby is the Packers’ all-time leading scorer with 1,918 points. Last season, he made 25-of-29 field goals, a ninth season of at least an 80% success rate and his career rate is 81.4%.
Owner Jerry Jones said the team is comfortable with rolling the dice with Aubrey, a Plano native, who spent the past two seasons in the USFL with Birmingham after playing soccer at Notre Dame.
Aubrey was was named an All-USFL kicker in 2022. In 2023, he made 14 of 15 field goal attempts and all 35 extra points for Birmingham.
“We comfortable. We’re excited about what we’ve seen,” Jones said. “We’re excited about how got here. And he’s having a real solid camp. And so we’re very comfortable with going into the season with him.
“His age is actually a positive. Not that a veteran player can’t be a positive to know that’s going to be the cloud but I’m totally comfortable with his age and his experience.”
This story was originally published August 7, 2023 at 1:22 PM.
