The New England Patriots have only played one preseason game so far (without most of their starters, by the way), yet it seems like one player is already trending in the wrong direction: kicker Andy Borregales.
During Thursday's preseason game, the second-year kicker went 2-for-5 on field goal attempts, missing a 49-yarder (a late-game attempt that would have won the game for New England), a 55-yarder, and a 56-yarder.
Borregales did make a 52-yard attempt in the third quarter, and he was mostly rock solid for the Patriots last season and came up clutch numerous times (most notably his 52-yard game-winner against the Buffalo Bills in Week 5).
But at the same time, Spencer Shrader, the Indianapolis Colts' kicker, went 2-for-2 and hit a 61-yarder on Thursday, and Borregales is someone the Patriots drafted in the sixth round last year. It is just one preseason game, but it's still a bit concerning that he's putting up a performance like this.
The Patriots should bring in some competition for Andy Borregales
After Thursday's game, head coach Mike Vrabel brought up the idea of bringing in some competition for the Venezuelan native (h/t Khari A. Thompson of Boston.com).
“I’m sure we’ll talk about it and see where we’re at,” Vrabel said when asked if he would consider bringing in some competition. “I’m not going to make any decision tonight. But again, we’re going to have misses. We’re going to have mistakes. In everything we do, we just need to be able to come back.”
“We’re expected to make them. That’s pro football,” Vrabel said. “They’re banging them in from 60 yards. They got two kickers on the roster, so Andy knows that we have to make those field goals.”
There aren't a ton of great options on the market (Graham Gano, Brandon McManus, Daniel Carlson, and Matt Prater are the only ones maybe worth looking into), but if the Patriots are considering a late competition at kicker (at the very least to light a fire under Borregales), then they should absolutely do it.
While having your starting kicker miss three field goals in your first preseason game is obviously less than ideal, I'm more so of the idea that it's not time to hit the panic button. Borregales went 27-for-32 last season and didn't even have his long snapper in preseason (Julian Ashby is dealing with an ankle injury, so New England signed Niko Lalos, a defensive end-turned-long snapper who hasn't played an NFL game since January 2021).
Still, it's fair to say that the Patriots may need to keep Borregales on a short leash, and it could be best for him and the team if they bring in another kicker and put him in a sink-or-swim type of situation.
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