Chicago Bears should claim recently waived kicker Roberto Aguayo
The Chicago Bears should claim recently waived kicker Roberto Aguayo. A second-round pick in 2016, Aguayo has struggled in the NFL, but he still has some long-term upside.
The Chicago Bears enter the 2017 season with a perfectly acceptable option at the kicker position. Connor Barth is not an elite NFL kicker, but he is solid and dependable. Last season with the Bears, Barth connected on 18 of his 23 field goals attempted. For his career, Barth has hit 84% of his field goal attempts.
While Barth is solid, he is never going to be an elite option at the position. With the Bears not expected to be competitive this season, I would like to see them take a shot on a kicker with some more upside, and the perfect upside play just became available.
On Saturday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers waived kicker Roberto Aguayo. Aguayo is one of the most accurate kickers in college football history. At Florida State, he went 198 for 198 on extra points and hit 69 field goals in 78 attempts. Simply put, Aguayo was automatic in college and entered the 2016 NFL Draft as the clear top kicker prospect.
An obvious draft reach led to a poor rookie season
The Buccaneers went a bit too crazy for Aguayo trading up to select him in the second round with the 59th overall pick. Aguayo was an impressive kicker prospect, but that is far too early for any kicker. It was a bad move by Tampa Bay and they are regretting it right now.
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Aguayo struggled as a rookie. He went 32 for 34 on extra points and an ugly 22 for 31 on field goal attempts. Aguayo was solid in the short-to-mid range, hitting 18 of 20 field goals of 39 yards or less. However, going 4 for 11 from 40+ yards with only one of those attempts being 50 yards or more was completely unacceptable.
Losing the competition
The Bucs brought kicker Nick Folk in for competition for Aguayo this offseason. Folk has been absolutely automatic through training camp, while Aguayo continues to struggle. In their preseason opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, Aguayo missed an extra point and a 47-yard field goal. That was the final straw and the Buccaneers decided to cut bait. A tough decision because he was such a valuable recent pick, but a necessary one for a team looking to compete.
Cutting ties with Aguayo made sense for Tampa Bay, but that does not mean his NFL career should be over. He has undoubtedly struggled, but we cannot ignore his pedigree. This guy was a second-round pick just a year ago. It was a bad pick, but his talent is legitimate.
No downside for the Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are not going to compete in 2017. If they were, I would say to stay far away from Aguayo. However, what does it hurt to give him a chance on a rebuilding team?
Aguayo is now on waivers, meaning the teams with the worst record from 2016 have the first opportunity to pick him up. So, as long as the Cleveland Browns or San Francisco 49ers do not claim him, the Bears will have an opportunity to claim Aguayo.
If they can, I say that the Bears should bring Aguayo in to compete. If he continues to be atrocious, then quickly cut ties with him. However, if he starts to show that the change of scenery is doing him some good, the Bears would be wise to give him a chance in 2017.
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Having a solid kicker like Barth may make 2017 easier to watch, but really, it does not make any difference. Aguayo may be damaged goods, but there is literally no downside in finding out. The Chicago Bears should take a shot in the dark and see if they can find something in the 23-year-old kicker.