When you get drafted as a kicker, regardless of the round, the expectations around the league are typically really high.
But with recent examples of this going poorly for New England (Justin Rohrwasser in 2020, Chad Ryland in 2023), Patriots fans’ guards were immediately up when the team opted to draft Miami kicker Andy Borregales in the sixth-round this past spring.
As the preseason rolled along, a different kicker at Pats camp began to stand out, as journeyman Parker Romo consistently went kick-for-kick with Borregales as the practices stacked up in July and August.
When Romo hit a 57-yard field goal in Week 1 of the preseason, fans started taking notice of this position battle. And when Borregales badly shanked his opportunity from 50+ in Week 2 of the preseason, fans really started to take notice.
Despite many believing Romo had a better summer, Borregales ended up being the man selected for the not-so-final 53-man roster. And after Week 1 of the regular season, Romo’s good game tape from the preseason landed him a job with the Falcons, where he immediately shined on Sunday Night Football.
5 for 5 on field goals, 1 for 1 on extra points, and a 54-yarder in the fourth quarter earned Romo a postgame interview on the field with NBC, where he was genuinely meeting his fellow game ball winners in front of a national TV audience.
It appears Atlanta has lucked into their guy at kicker. Which, to be honest, happens more often than not around the NFL.
Meanwhile in New England, the hand-picked kicker in Borregales has more questions surrounding him than answers, and it looks like the Patriots may have drafted their third dud at the position in six years.
Week 1 saw Borregales open his career with an easy miss from 40 yards out in a light rain.
Week 2 saw the Hollywood, FL native ride a wave of inconsistencies:
- Missed his first two extra point attempts on the day
- Hit a clutch 53-yard field goal in the quarter
- Immediately followed up the clutch field goal with a penalty on the ensuing kickoff, as his kick was short of the landing zone resulting in the ball being placed on the 40 yard line for Miami, keeping the Dolphins’ hopes of a late comeback win alive
Lucky for Borregales, defensive tackle Milton Williams sealed the win for the Patriots with a late sack as time expired. Miami was moving, but they ran out of time.
Had the Dolphins won that game, who knows if Borregales would still have a job.
And heading into Week 3, you have to imagine the leash is as short as can be for the rookie kicker as head coach Mike Vrabel looks to continue establishing a new culture of accountability in his first year in charge in New England.
“Do you guys have a kicking problem right now, or do you feel confident in [Borregales]?” WEEI’s Courtney Cox asked Vrabel during his Monday morning appearance with The Greg Hill Show.
“How many times you want me to answer it?” Vrabel said in a huff. “I answered it yesterday - missed two extra points, and then made the rest of them. If I didn't feel confident, I wouldn't have put him out there for a 53-yarder. So it was good to see.”
Vrabel is using the media as a way to empower his 22-year-old kicker rather than apply pressure. Whether or not this messaging matches how he’s coaching him behind the scenes, we don’t know.
Borregals will look to bounce back in Week 3 with the Steelers (1-1) coming to Gillette.
As of publishing, the Patriots are 1.5-point home dogs at FanDuel. You can get New England on the moneyline at -102, and the total sits at 44.5.
Tune in each and every Monday throughout the football season to Patriots Monday on WEEI. Head coach Mike Vrabel joins The Greg Hill Show at 6:30 a.m. ET, and quarterback Drake Maye joins WEEI Afternoons.