Bears claim Kicker Roberto Aguayo off of waivers
The Bears have added a well-known kicking prospect for competition
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were the joke of the day when they released their kicker the day after the first preseason game of Roberto Aguayo’s second season. However, like every player cut, there is going to be a market for him to get a chance elsewhere. The Bears saw Aguayo and decided that he was worth a shot, claiming the highly touted kicker off of waivers.
Bears have claimed former Bucs' K Roberto Aguayo off of waivers, per @FieldYates.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 13, 2017
Of course, the reason the Bucs took so much heat for letting go of Aguayo so early was all that was invested in him. The Bucs did not just draft a kicker in the second round. They also traded up to draft this kicker in the second round. The pick was met with a lot of scrutiny, most kickers drafted that high do. It seemed to have affected the mindset and psyche of Aguayo, who was downright poor in his rookie season. Aguayo missed nine field goals and two extra points in his rookie season.
The Bears were a bit better, but were not the most stable kicking team. Connor Barth missed five kicks and an extra point last season. The Bears have been trying to move on from Barth and added Andy Phillips for competition. Unfortunately, Phillips did not make it to the first preseason game before being let go.
This opens the door for the Bears to add a high profile kicker, get the competition they were looking for, and it comes without the investment of something ridiculous like a second round pick.
A recent comparison can be made to Mike Nugent. Nugent was a second round pick and spent four seasons with the Jets before being let go. However, from there he has spent seven seasons with the Bengals, where most of his best work has been done.
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Aguayo has the college background of an outstanding kicker. Heck, a team invested heavily into him. A change of scenery could be all he needs, and he could wind up winning a job this season if he can get right mentally. Given the lack of investment, this is a no risk, decently high reward move, and it should be treated as such from Bears fans.