Jenna Laine, ESPN Staff Writer 7y

Bucs kicker Roberto Aguayo struggles against Nick Folk in first OTA practice

TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Roberto Aguayo struggled in Tuesday’s OTA practice, the first practice that was open to the media this offseason.

At the end of practice, he and kicker Nick Folk each took turns kicking into skinny goal posts measuring 8 ½ feet in width. NFL regulation goal posts are 18 ½ feet.

Aguayo went 1-for-4 while Folk went 4-for-4. The kicks were from about 35-40 yards out.

“I guess that’s the fallacy of having the media at practice every day, isn’t it,” head coach Dirk Koetter said, chuckling.

“I don’t think we should probably decide any competition based on four kicks. Nick got the best of it today and they’ll be out there going at it again tomorrow.”

The Bucs signed Folk this offseason to a one-year deal worth $1.75 million with $750,000 guaranteed to push Aguayo and possibly unseat him.

The Bucs made Aguayo the highest-drafted kicker since Mike Nugent in 2005 when he was selected in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft.

He struggled, going 22-for-31 (71 percent), the lowest percentage of any kicker in the league. He also made just 4 of 11 attempts from 40-plus yards.

Folk went 27-for-31 on field goals last season (87.1 percent) including 3-for-3 on kicks from 40-49 yards and 2-for-4 from 50-plus. His accuracy from 40-plus yards made him a particularly attractive option for the Bucs to sign this offseason.

The practice of kicking into narrower goal posts is fairly common across the NFL because it makes the margin for error smaller. The goal is getting the ball straighter in flight and gaining increased confidence upon returning to the traditional uprights.

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