Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Starting kicker still uncertain heading into camp
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are having a position battle at kicker heading into 2017 training camp.
It is not a training camp battle you see too often: Who will take over the role of starting kicker? It may sound silly to the casual observer, but to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, this question is anything but a joke.
Roberto Aguayo was supposed to be “the guy.” After all, when you’re drafted in the second round (59th overall), why shouldn’t you be? Eyebrows were raised when the Buccaneers took him that high (mine included) and many were excited to see how he would perform in the NFL. Let’s just say it was not the start he or the Bucs were hoping for.
He made only 71 percent of his field goals (22-of-32) and 98 percent of his extra points (32-of-34). He played in 16 games last season, making all of his field goals in only six of the games he played in. Now, he is fighting for a job with a veteran who has had plenty of experience at the position. Enter Nick Folk.
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A draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys, Folk was taken in the sixth round (No. 178 overall) in 2007. The former Arizona State product did well in his first season with the Cowboys ,making 83 percent of his field goals (26-of-31) and all of his extra points (53-of-53). As a result of his performance, he was named to the Pro Bowl as well as the Pro Football Writer’s Associations’ All-NFC Team.
Folk stayed with the Cowboys for two years, before enjoying a six-year post with the New York Jets from 2010-16. During his time with the Jets, he cemented himself as one of the top kickers in the league. While in the Meadowlands, he was a three-time AFC Special Teams Player of the Week (Week 5, 2010; Week 1, 2013; Week 9, 2013). With the Jets needing to clear some salary cap, he was released by the team on Feb. 23.
Folk quickly found work, however, signing as a free agent on March 17 with the Buccaneers. This move was in part to challenge Aguayo, heading into camp, and to add some stability at the position. Now, heading into camp, that is exactly how it appears to be shaping up.
The Scoop
Andrew Norton of Buccaneers.com wrote a piece on Thursday about the Bucs kickers and what their value would consist of in terms of fantasy football. If anything, this portion of their write-up sounded to me like the position is still up for grabs.
Don’t draft your kicker early, and probably avoid drafting a Buccaneers kicker unless your draft is held after the final rosters have been made. If you are a Buccaneers fan, or really believe that this offense is special and that the kicker will benefit, then there is little harm with drafting them with your final-round selection. Just remember to pay attention to the position throughout the season and adjust accordingly. Chances are that Aguayo or Folk will be sitting unused by the end of Week 4, and there is the potential that they could be among the leaders at their position.
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The GM Weighs In
The uncertainly falls in line with a report written at the beginning of June by Jonathan Jones of Sports Illustrated. Before the start of OTAs, Buccaneers general manager Jason Litcht was noncommittal as to who the starting kicker would be:
"“We evaluate the players every day. What the media sees is one thing, but the media doesn’t see the everyday battle,” Bucs general manager Jason Licht told me before the start of Thursday’s OTAs. “That day it was publicized that Roberto missed those field goals on the skinny post and Folk made them. Now over there [on another field in a different practice] is a different story that the media didn’t pick up on. We’re evaluating every kick.“The media doesn’t see the other 10 or 20 kicks that they do per day on the other field. They’re being charted, too. I’m not going to tell you what they are. But if people actually knew how Roberto was doing over there, they wouldn’t have taken the Day One report from the skinny posts like they did and made such a big deal of it. But they can only report what they see and I understand that.”"
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The Verdict
The way I see it, this position is anything but set in stone. Although Aguayo may be the frontrunner, it sounds as though Folk has provided enough competition to make the Bucs take a close look. Aguayo needs to prove that he can be a dependable kicker in the NFL. If not, he may find a home on the bench. Folk has enough experience and skill (particularly with extra points) to be able to take over the starting job.