Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey helps the Lions gain confidence in Jake Bates

Allen Park – The story that led Jake Bates to the Detroit Lions is fascinating – he never attempted a field goal in college, only functioning as a kickoff specialist – but even his path to the NFL is highlighted by the story that Brandon Aubrey led to brought to the Dallas Cowboys, overshadowed.

Aubrey grew up a soccer player and didn’t start playing soccer until after graduating from Notre Dame. He never played football in college, and his first professional experience came after being selected by the Birmingham Stallions in the 2022 USFL Draft.

The inexperienced kicker spent two seasons in Birmingham, where he made 32 of his 37 field goals, before the Cowboys signed him in July 2023. Later, Aubrey beat out Tristan Vizcaino for the starting spot.

Aubrey then had one of the best rookie seasons for a kicker in NFL history. He went 36-for-38 on field goals – including a 10-for-10 performance on attempts from 50 or more yards – scored all but three of his 52 extra points and made the All-Pro team. Since last season, he has had a yarder of over 50 in seven consecutive games, an NFL record.

Not bad for someone who, as a child, kicked a ball between white goal posts instead of yellow posts.

“Even watching Aubrey, I gain confidence in Bates, a guy who didn’t have as many kicks as someone else. Absolutely,” Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp said Thursday. “The bottom line is these guys are talented guys. … You’re not just a high school kicker who’s done this his whole life.”

“These guys are good athletes, they’re good players. They are super talented. I think these guys can get better and they can improve.”

Aubrey’s rise to the top of the kicking game not only gives the Lions reassurance over their own inexperienced kicker, but it also gives Bates reason to believe in himself.

“It’s just cool to see someone be so successful and do it so well,” Bates said. “From the looks of it, he’s a super humble guy who works really hard and is really talented. I definitely feel a little bit like, ‘Hey, look, he did it, so I can do it too.’

“I think he instilled that belief in a lot of people, so it’s really cool to see what he’s done.”

After an inconsistent training camp, Bates hasn’t set the league on fire this year like Aubrey did as a rookie in 2023, but he’s been more than solid. He has started his career with five straight field goals – all from 35 yards – and is 11 of 12 on extra points.

There are some natural transferable skills from playing soccer to kicking soccer balls, Bates said, but it’s not a one-to-one comparison. Bates highlighted the different body and foot angles of the two sports, noting how the swing trajectory changes when kicking different types of balls.

According to Bates, this transition is more difficult than you might think. But it definitely helped him, and it seems to be working for Aubrey, too, who has started this season with 14 of 16 field goals and seven of his eight attempts from 50 yards or more.

“It was cool, especially when I was in the UFL, to know that someone was in my shoes and did it,” Bates said. “Obviously he’s at the highest level of anyone else at the moment. It was really fun to watch him. I was rooting for him because I only know his story (and know his football background). …

“Just learning a little bit about his history and seeing the work he’s done and going to the USFL for two years and getting his opportunity and taking advantage of it was really cool to see and definitely inspiring. “

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