FOXBORO — Like most football fans Tuesday, Andy Borregales was glued to his phone hoping to learn about the latest roster cuts before the NFL’s 53-man roster deadline.
Unlike most fans, Borregales’ social media informed him he’d kept his job.
The sixth-round rookie kicker out of Miami said he saw a report on X/Twitter that fellow kicker Parker Romo, with whom he competed all training camp, had been released. That told Borregales all he needed to know about whether he was remaining in New England.
“Obviously (I) got a little excited, because I’m like, ‘Alright, that means I got the job.’ But I’ve known Parker for maybe six, seven years. So I kind of felt bad for him too at the end of the day,” Borregales said Wednesday in front of his locker. “But it’s also a business, you know, and we both knew that coming in. It is it is what it is.”
According to 98.5 The Sports Hub, Borregales went 46-of-55 on field goals in practices and games since training camp started on July 23 and Romo finished 39-of-43. Borregales missed a 49-yard field goal in the first half of last week’s preseason finale against the Giants, which was interpreted by some as a bad sign for his chances. However, the Patriots saw more potential in him than Romo, who overcame a poor spring to push Borregales down the stretch of their position battle.
“I thought it was competitive,” Pats coach Mike Vrabel said. “I thought Parker really improved from the spring to the summer, and I think just the entire body of work, we felt like Andy was going to be our kicker. … Those are always difficult decisions, and again, we’re going to do everything we can to support Andy, and he knows he’s got to make them. That’s the job of the kicker.”
Borregales said he met with special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer shortly after he learned he’d won the job Tuesday. Springer had a simple message.
“Every day is an (evaluation), even after you make the(team),” Borregales shared. “Because at the end of the day, there’s always something to work on.”
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