Roberto Aguayo's time in Tampa Bay came to an abrupt end on Saturday, but he's not out of chances in the NFL yet. One day later, Aguayo found his new home. According to ESPN's Field Yates, the Bears claimed Aguayo off waivers on Sunday.
A second-round pick a year ago, Aguayo struggled in his rookie season, connecting on just 71 percent of his field goals. He was last in the league in field goal percentage. On kicks of 40 yards or longer, he went 4 of 11. He missed two extra points.
This offseason, the Buccaneers brought in outside competition for Aguayo in long-time Jets kicker Nick Folk. After Aguayo missed two kicks in the Buccaneers' preseason opener, they decided enough was enough.
"I keep saying it and I can't say it anymore. You're a kicker. You've gotta make your kicks," Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter said after the game, via ESPN.com.
He did not make his kicks in Tampa Bay. That's why he's a member of the Bears now. But there is still hope for Aguayo. After all, he was a highly-touted kicking prospect coming out of Florida State. It's not unreasonable to suggest the pressure of being a second-round pick got to his head. Maybe a change in scenery along with lower expectations will allow Aguayo to revert back to his college form. At Florida State, Aguayo made 88.5 percent of his field goals.
He won't be guaranteed a roster spot in Chicago, though. Instead, he'll be forced to beat out the incumbent, Connor Barth, who replaced Bears kicking legend Robbie Gould last season. Barth wasn't great last year -- he made 78.3 percent of his field goals, which ranked sixth-worst in football. So, Aguayo does have a chance.
Fun fact: Aguayo took the Buccaneers' starting job from Barth last year, so he now has a chance to steal his job in back to back offseasons. That fact probably isn't so fun for Barth.
If he does manage to unseat Barth, the Buccaneers will be happy.
Well, at least as happy as a team can be after they traded up to draft a kicker in the second round before cutting him a year later.