The days of the Patriots having one of the best kickers in the NFL are long gone, and maybe they left when they moved on from Stephen Gostkowski in 2020 after he dealt with serious injuries.
Since then, they have struggled to find someone they viewed as the future of the position, despite having one of the most accurate kickers in recent history, Nick Folk, for four years.
It wasn't necessarily due to a lack of effort by the Patriots, since Bill Belichick drafted a few kickers and signed many in free agency, which ultimately led Mike Vrabel to select Andy Borregales in the sixth round of the 2025 draft.
Because they used a draft pick on him, it was clear that the new Patriots' staff had a lot of faith in the kind of player Borregales would be for the team. He was widely respected going into the draft, but since taking over the role, he has been more inconsistent than anything else.
That continues to be a problem in 2026, with Borregales missing his third field goal of the season against the Dolphins on Sunday. It was a 40-yarder, the second 40-49-yard miss this year, with the other being a 30- 39-yard miss.
Add that he missed an extra point, and it seems clear the Patriots need to bring in some competition so he feels the heat and becomes more consistent. Otherwise, his performance will continue to be problematic on game day.
The Patriots need to consider all options regarding Andy Borregales after Week 8
While speaking to reporters Monday morning, Vrabel was not interested in the idea that they should reconsider having Borregales as their starting kicker.
Instead, he expressed strong confidence in him, emphasizing that he believes he can make the changes needed to be the kicker the team needs and can rely on.
“That needs to get corrected and I have a lot of confidence in Andy. I think when you see the timing, and when the approach is in rhythm, it looks really good. So we have to make our kicks. Everyone has a job here...
I thought he did a real nice job on the kickoff, the ball placement. Hopefully he’s making a lot of extra points …”
While it's good to hear he still believes Borregales can make the needed changes and that he's not giving up on a 2025 draft pick just yet, it's hard to ignore that his inconsistency doesn't seem to be a major issue for the Patriots yet.
And it's not just that he's inconsistent. It's that Borregales is missing kicks that should be easy for any kicker in the league. There's almost no excuse for missing 30- to 40-yard field goals in the league today when plenty are hitting field goals close to 60 yards out.
It looks like their game plan is changing because of that, too, given how often the offense has gone for it on fourth down in recent weeks. If that's not somewhat of an indication that they don't feel 100% comfortable with Borregales, then what is?
They shouldn't overlook it, as any more misses can be the difference between a win and a disappointing loss, and bringing in some competition is never a bad idea.
Maybe that's the kick in the butt that Borregales needs. He hasn't really faced any adversity since joining the team, so feeling his seat heat up a bit could be enough to make him work harder and become more reliable.
At the very least, Vrabel should seriously consider it before it's too late.
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