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Los Angeles Chargers: Kicker job should still be undecided

By Jason Reed

TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 26: Kicker Roberto Aguayo #19 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers warms up before the start of an NFL game against the Cleveland Browns on August 26, 2016 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - AUGUST 26: Kicker Roberto Aguayo #19 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers warms up before the start of an NFL game against the Cleveland Browns on August 26, 2016 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images) /
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One of the biggest questions entering the preseason for the Los Angeles Chargers is how the team would fare in the kicking department.

The kicking department ultimately kept the Los Angeles Chargers out of the postseason last season. While we could pinpoint several different games in which the Chargers could have won, literally one kick could have changed the entire outlook of the NFL season.

If YoungHoe Koo would have made the game-winning field goal in week 2 against the Miami Dolphins the Chargers would have made the postseason.

That miss came one week after the Denver Broncos blocked Koo’s game-tying field goal that would have put the game into overtime. While that was not Koo’s fault, the 9-7 Los Angeles Chargers could have been 11-5 with two kicks.

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Not to mention that the kicker job was a revolving door for the team last season. Entering the offseason, it was very understandable why one of the Chargers’ biggest concerns was adding depth at the kicker position.

Thus, the Los Angeles Chargers brought in not one, but two familiar kickers to battle for the starting job. Former Philadelphia Eagles kicker, Caleb Sturgis, and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker (and a second-round pick) Roberto Aguayo were brought in to fight for the job.

Sturgis was the early favorite as Aguayo had not had the greatest career in Tampa Bay and was known for missing kicks. However, Aguayo did show in college that he could be effective. He did not miss a single extra-point in college and made 88.5 percent of his field goals.

However, Sturgis was one of the most reliable kickers in the league for Philadelphia before he was injured last season and Jake Elliott took his job. While Sturgis does not have a booming leg, he did make 84.8 percent of his field goals in two full seasons with the Eagles and was 37-39 (94.9 percent) from within 40 yards.

Sturgis did miss a field goal in preseason week 1 while Aguayo nailed a 39-yard kick in week 2. And while that may seemingly give the advantage to Aguayo, the job should still be up in the air.

As good as Aguayo may look now, he was not reliable in his lone season with Tampa Bay and does not have the same track record as Sturgis.

Last season, the Chargers went with the promise of Koo over the established Josh Lambo, which in hindsight, was an awful move. Lambo made 95 percent of his field goals last season.

The Chargers cannot fall in love with a short sample-size and give the job outright to Aguayo. Let the two legs battle it out for the rest of the preseason and carry the two over into the regular season as a cushion to potentially continue that battle there.

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It may be a tad unorthodox but the Los Angeles Chargers need to be especially careful with the kicking job. The entire season may depend on it.

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