Being an NFL kicker isn’t easy. Whether it’s practice time or game time, kickers spend most of their football lives off to the sideline. When they are called upon to fill the requirements of their job, the stakes are often high and the consequences severe.
It’s an enormous leap to go from the least important member on a team to the most important, in just a matter of moments, but that’s exactly what it’s like kicking for the Cowboys.
After last season’s kicker, Brett Maher, yipped himself out of a job in 2023, the Cowboys have treated the kicker position like an afterthought. They rolled through most of the offseason with only Tristen Vizcaino on the roster, then added USFL standout Brandon Aubrey shortly before training camp.
Neither kicker is a proven entity, and both have a lot to prove before anyone will trust them with the fate of the season.
As discussed earlier in the offseason, kicker is a notoriously fickle position with even the biggest stars showing unstable performances year to year. Much like removing shoes at airport security, veteran kickers only give the illusion of security. Their performance can be as erratic as anyone’s.
With so many accomplished soccer players on the planet, finding someone with elite kicking ability isn’t the problem. It’s finding someone who can handle the pressure of the moment and perform at a moment’s notice that’s the problem.
Moments like these are what Mike McCarthy calls, “Mojo Moments.” His kickers don’t get to just practice off in the distance and call it a day. They have to feel the pressure of the moment and that means a crowd of players, coaches and onlookers huddled around and judging their most critical moment of the day.
With entire team watching during Mike McCarthy’s first Mojo Moment of training camp, both kickers went 3-for-3 from 38, 44 and 48. https://t.co/jDb6cL6Paw
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) July 31, 2023
Both kickers looked good early on and when the pressure picked up, they each went 3-for-3 during their Mojo Moments. But as expected, the journey hasn’t been without bumps with both kickers struggling to close out practice on Tuesday. Aubrey went 6-for-7 and Vizcaino went 5-for-7.
Cowboys kickers just completed a seven field-goal set at practice’s outset. Brandon Aubrey went 6-for-7, missing wide right from 39, right hash. Tristan Vizcaino was 5-for-7, bouncing a 33-yarder, left hash, off left post and missing wide left from 48.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) August 1, 2023
With three games to come and over three weeks of practice ahead, both kickers have plenty of time to prove they’re up to the task. If not, veteran options still exist in free agency.
The true tests will come down to how they perform in the big moments.
How they look in preseason games and McCarthy’s famous Mojo Moments will give an indication how they will deal with pressures of the regular season and with any luck, postseason.
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