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Buccaneers: Five players to watch Friday night against the Bengals

By Alan Schechter

SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 23: Head coach Dirk Koetter of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stands on the sidelines during their NFL game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on October 23, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 23: Head coach Dirk Koetter of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stands on the sidelines during their NFL game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on October 23, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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TAMPA, FL – DECEMBER 11: Kicker Roberto Aguayo #19 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gets the hold from punter Bryan Anger #9 as he kicks a 26 yard field goal during the fourth quarter of an NFL game against the New Orleans Saints on December 11, 2016 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL – DECEMBER 11: Kicker Roberto Aguayo #19 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gets the hold from punter Bryan Anger #9 as he kicks a 26 yard field goal during the fourth quarter of an NFL game against the New Orleans Saints on December 11, 2016 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images) /

1. Roberto Aguayo

It’s everybody’s favorite kicker. I could have gone with both kickers here, but I wanted to make it about Aguayo because let’s face it, he is the guy they want to keep around. The Bucs staff can talk about moving on all they like. Jason Licht will do it if he has to, but he doesn’t want to. No general manager is every happy about admitting that he made a mistake. If Aguayo doesn’t make the team it’s a huge blemish on Licht’s record, so rest assured that privately he is pulling for Aguayo.

He may be the GM but he is still human. We all have some form of an ego.

The story will remain until he shows he can get past it. The Bucs traded up to get Aguayo in last year’s draft with the knowledge that he was the most accurate kicker in college football history. They hoped it would translate to the NFL field but in year one, it simply did not. He kicked a game winner against the rival Panthers, but all in all things did not go well. 22-31 on field goal attempts will not keep a kicker in the NFL for very long. Nick Folk is in town to push him. The shove begins in this game.

There are signs of things looking up for Aguayo. Earlier in camp he was said to be gaining momentum, posting a perfect 7-7 during the day’s workout. Both kickers have been up and down so the competition is still very much wide open. Friday night against the Bengals is the first chance to see Aguayo let the ball fly under the lights of a game in 2017. Watch and see how he does.

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