The Los Angeles Chargers missed out on the 2017 postseason by one game, a win they could have picked up anywhere along their schedule if they had employed a consistently competent field goal kicker.
L.A. engaged four different kickers over the course of the season -- YoungHoe Koo, Nick Novak, Travis Coons, Nick Rose, in that order. Their combined 66.7 field goal percentage was the worst in the NFL. The Bolts' frequent field-goal gaffes, namely Koo's untimely misses in the first two weeks, were the laughing stock of the league.
On Wednesday, Los Angeles took the first step toward remedying their kicking woes, signing embattled booter Roberto Aguayo to a reserve/future contract.
Aguayo spent most of 2017 out of football after losing his starting gig in Tampa Bay's training camp to veteran kicker Nick Folk. Aguayo cropped up on Chicago and Carolina's practice squad, but didn't see a regular-season snap in either locale.
A highly scrutinized second-round pick out of Florida State, Aguayo had a rough rookie season, hitting just 71 percent of his field goals and missing two extra points in Tampa Bay.
Like many troubled artists before him, he'll look to start over in Los Angeles. Rose is the only other Chargers kicker still under contract for the 2018 season.
