Brandon Aubrey thinks soccer background will "absolutely" help with new kickoffs
The NFL has adopted new procedures for kickoffs this season and Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey thinks he's positioned to take advantage of them.
Aubrey was a soccer player in college before leading the league in made field goals as a rookie in 2023 and he thinks that background is going to "absolutely" help him make the most of the change in kickoffs. Under the new rules, kickers will kick from their 35-yard-line while the rest of the kicking team will be on the opposing 40-yard-line. Most players on the receiving team will be between their 35- and 30-yard-lines and no one will be able to move until a returner, who lines up inside the 20-yard-line, catches the ball.
Aubrey said he loves the rule and believes it is "gonna save my leg and give me a chance to go out there and hit some unique balls."
"We're in the workshop right now," Aubrey said, via the team's website. "Hang time is a little less important and not being able to move until it's caught, so we're in the workshop — don't wanna really give too much away. . . . It works with hitting the ball in different ways, putting my foot on the ball in different ways and wrapping my foot around it in certain ways. I think it will help. Being a soccer player is a skill I've taken with me to the NFL."
The way Aubrey and others approach the new kickoff will be one of the biggest things to watch as the 2024 season gets underway this fall.
