Could the Buccaneers move on from Ryan Succop after a stellar 2020 season?
It almost feels hard to believe after the 2020 season he put together, but Ryan Succop has not been the best kicker for the Buccaneers in training camp.
Succop has struggled with a little bit of everything. Whether the issues are with distance or consistency, Succop has been showing off some red flags regarding his readiness for the 2021 season since the start of camp.
The Bucs have been wise to hold an open competition rather than just handing Succop the keys to the car again, which could lead to Jose Borregales taking over the starting job.
While some fans may interpret this move as blasphemous, there is legitimacy to the notion that one has to win the starting kicking job every single year. Succop was lights out last season, but Bucs fans know how fickle kickers can be.
Even though the front office signed Succop to an extension, this should mean very little if Tampa has a better kicker on the roster during camp.
Succop has to maintain his play during every opportunity he receives to keep his job, and the franchise has already seen what happens when they ignore the warning signs during camp. For Succop to keep his job, he has to convince everyone that he can maintain his level of play from last season, and he has not done that yet.
On the other hand, Jose Borregales is stepping up to the plate beautifully. According to a tweet from practice today by The Pewter Report, Borregales went seven for seven on field goals during the kicking period.
#Bucs rookie kicker Jose Borregales continues to impress going 7 for 7 during kicking drills and nailing a 60 and 48 yarder at the end of practice.
— PewterReport 🏴☠️ (@PewterReport) August 12, 2021
The combination of consistency mixed with a make from 60 yards should do plenty to move Borregales closer to the top of the kicking leaderboards in Tampa for now. Still, there is a chance the staff will want to see a bit more from the newcomer before jumping the Ryan Succop ship for good.
Either way, there is a legitimate kicking competition going on in Tampa right now, and the Buccaneers could have a new kicker come week one depending on how the preseason games go.
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