HEADLINES

Tampa Bay Buccaneers News & Rumors

Buccaneers Cut Matt Gay

September 4th, 2020 at 10:33am CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers are waiving Matt Gay, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. With that, the Bucs are set to roll with Ryan Succop as their primary kicker.

[RELATED: Bucs Sign Leonard Fournette]

Gay was the league’s fourth-highest scoring kicker as a rookie in 2019 and made five of his eight tries from 50+ yards. Still, the Bucs wanted a more experienced option. Earlier this week, they inked Succop and dropped Elliott Fry, putting Gay in a two-man race for the gig. A few days later, they made their call.

Succop made just 1 of 6 field goals in his final Titans season, which began and ended on IR. But, before that, Succop played in every game for the Titans from 2014-18 and made at least 83% of his field goals in each of those seasons.

In bigger Bucs news, the club welcomed running back Leonard Fournette to Tampa on Thursday. The former No. 4 overall pick joins incumbent Ronald Jones, rookies Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Raymond Calais, and fellow newcomer LeSean McCoy on TB’s RB depth chart.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/3/20

September 3rd, 2020 at 5:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Thursday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the day:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Released from IR via injury settlement: TE Khari Lee

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Indianapolis Colts

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Buccaneers Sign RB Leonard Fournette

September 3rd, 2020 at 9:46am CST by Rory Parks

The Bucs got their man. Shortly after it was reported that Tampa was pursuing former Jacksonville RB Leonard Fournette, the Bucs agreed to terms with the 2017 first-rounder, per Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network (via Grant Gordon of NFL.com).

It will be a one-year deal worth up to $3.5MM. Fournette will take home a base salary of $2MM and will have the chance to earn an extra $1.5MM in incentives based on rushing yards and playing time. Plus, since Fournette’s deal with the Jags did not include offset language, he could still pocket the $4.2MM that he was due to earn this year prior to being waived by Jacksonville if he wins his grievance against his former club.

Tampa was said to be interested in Fournette earlier this year and reportedly engaged in trade talks with Jacksonville. Ultimately, the Bucs were able to acquire him without sacrificing any draft capital, but their RB room has become pretty crowded. In addition to incumbent Ronald Jones, Tampa added Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Raymond Calais in the draft and signed veteran LeSean McCoy in July.

Prior to the Fournette signing, the team continued to tout Jones as its RB1, but Fournette is clearly the better back, even if he hasn’t quite lived up to his status as a former No. 4 overall pick. And since McCoy was signed for the veteran minimum, some have speculated that the Bucs could release him, though Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network says that Shady remains in the team’s plans (Twitter link). Fournette did pick up 76 receptions out of the backfield last year, but he may see most of his work on first and second downs while McCoy becomes a third-down/passing game complement.

Fournette added 265 carries for 1,152 yards in 2019, good for a career-high 4.3 yards-per-carry average. He now has a prime opportunity to truly break out in what is shaping up to be a prolific offense.

Buccaneers Pursuing RB Leonard Fournette

September 2nd, 2020 at 5:32pm CST by Ben Levine

Let’s add another team to the list of potential Leonard Fournette suitors. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo tweets that the Buccaneers are among the teams “making a push” for the running back. Albert Breer of TheMMQB is hearing similar things, with the reporter tweeting that Tampa Bay has “emerged as a serious suitor” for Fournette.

The Buccaneers’ offense has received a major makeover this offseason, with Tom Brady, LeSean McCoy, and Rob Gronkowski joining wideouts Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. However, thanks to the team’s lavish spending, the front office doesn’t have a whole lot of financial flexibility; Greg Auman of The Athletic estimates on Twitter that the Bucs could only offer Fournette around $1.9MM without having to make another move.

While Tampa Bay may have added McCoy, the team has continued to tout Ronald Jones as their starter. The former second-rounder had a breakout campaign in 2019, finishing with 724 rushing yards and six scores on 172 carries. Of course, that production doesn’t hold a candle to Fournette, who finished last season with 1,152 rushing yards on 265 carries. He also added 76 receptions for 522 yards.

The 25-year-old was waived by the Jaguars earlier this week, and we’re naturally hearing about potential suitors. Earlier today, we heard that the Patriots could be a fit for the running back. Meanwhile, the Bears reportedly won’t pursue the former fourth-overall pick.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/1/20

September 1st, 2020 at 5:22pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Waived: K Elliott Fry

Buccaneers Sign Ryan Succop

September 1st, 2020 at 9:20am CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers have signed Ryan Succop, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. To make room, they’ve dropped fellow kicker Elliott Fry. 

Succop will now compete with incumbent Matt Gay for the top (and only) placekicking job. As a rookie, Gay struggled from close range, something that frustrated head coach Bruce Arians.

“Competition is the baseline of the NFL,” Arians said recently. “Everybody’s fighting for a job, and if you don’t perform, someone’s right there ready behind you, ready to take your spot. It’s no news to me that guys are in here competing for a shot and they’re going to bring competition in. Competition is going to breed success, and I think the potential of our team this year is super-high, and I think the kicking position is very important.”

Succop made just 1 of 6 field goals in his final Titans season, which began and ended on IR. But, before that, Succop played in every game for the Titans from 2014-18 and made at least 83% of his field goals in each of those seasons.

Buccaneers Host Ryan Succop, Cody Parkey

August 29th, 2020 at 5:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

Saturday afternoon has brought some kicker developments. While the Titans worked out Stephen Gostkowski, the Buccaneers brought in Tennessee’s longtime kicker.

Ryan Succop visited the Bucs on Saturday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The Titans released Succop earlier this year, concluding a six-season Tennessee stay for the veteran.

Saturday’s session also featured Cody Parkey, per The Athletic’s Greg Auman (on Twitter). The former Bears kicker is at the Bucs’ facility for COVID-19 testing, with Auman noting he is expected to work out for the team in a few days. The Bucs appear to be planning to add to their current kicker competition or replace one of the current participants.

Tampa Bay has not enjoyed such kicker continuity in many years. The Bucs are currently holding a competition between Matt Gay and Elliott Fry. An 11-year veteran, Succop certainly has accomplished more than the two Tampa Bay kickers. Succop, 33, kicked in only six games last season, however, with injuries impeding him at multiple junctures.

Succop made just 1 of 6 field goals in his final Titans season, which began and ended on IR. The Titans stashed Succop on their IR list to start the season because of a knee injury and placed him on season-ending IR late in the season. Prior to that rocky slate, however, Succop played in every game for the Titans from 2014-18. He made at least 83% of his field goals in each of those seasons.

Parkey’s last significant role came with the Bears in 2018, but after his “double doink” miss, the Titans brought in the veteran during their search for a stopgap while Succop resided on IR. Parkey played three Titans games last season, going 3-for-3 on field goals. Parkey, 28, was a full-time kicker in four of the previous five seasons.

The Bucs have not featured the same primary kicker in a season since the 2011-12 campaigns, when Connor Barth held that job. Headlined by its second-round Roberto Aguayo miss, the franchise has spent the better part of a decade trying to find some stability at this spot. Gay, a 2019 rookie, went 27-for-35 on field goals last year and missed five extra points. The Bucs signed Fry, who has never kicked in a regular-season game, this offsesaon.

While Succop brings considerable experience, Gostkowski is certainly the more accomplished option. It will be interesting to see if the Bucs consider Tom Brady‘s longtime teammate as well, should the Titans and the veteran kicker not agree to terms.

Bucs Exploring Extension For LB Lavonte David

August 28th, 2020 at 10:41am CST by Rory Parks

The Buccaneers have had recent extension talks with longtime linebacker Lavonte David, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). David is set to enter the final year of his current contract, which will pay him a salary of $10.75MM.

Tampa selected David, 30, in the second round of the 2012 draft. He earned a First Team All-Pro bid in his second professional season, and he picked up a Pro Bowl nod in 2015. Though he hasn’t earned any All-Pro or Pro Bowl recognition since, he has consistently performed as one of the best linebackers in the league. Advanced metrics and the eye test suggest that he is generally strong against both the pass and the run, and he has averaged 126 tackles per season throughout his career.

He has also been durable. He did miss a couple of games in the 2017 and 2018 seasons, but he bounced back to play a full 16-game slate last year. He has started all 121 of the games in which he has appeared.

So it makes sense that the Bucs would want to extend their relationship with David. The fact that he is typically not called upon to rush the passer means that he will not be paid like one of the top LBs in the league, but a multi-year pact with an average annual value in the $13-14MM range wouldn’t be out of the question.

David is still looking for his first playoff appearance, and he might just get it in 2020. In case you hadn’t heard, the Bucs made several high-profile acquisitions on the offensive side of the ball this offseason and managed to keep a strong defense intact. Though question marks remain in the secondary, the front seven is stout, and David and 2019 first-rounder Devin White look like they will continue serving as one of the game’s better LB tandems for at least the next couple of years.

NFL Workout Updates: 8/24/20

August 24th, 2020 at 4:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s notable workouts:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Buccaneers To Sign C A.Q. Shipley

August 24th, 2020 at 4:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Buccaneers are looking into one of Bruce Arians‘ former players for offensive line depth. They are hosting longtime Cardinals center A.Q. Shipley on a visit, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The team has moved fast, having agreed to terms with the veteran center, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Shipley played for three of the Cards’ Arians-led teams, landing in Arizona in 2015 and remaining on the team during Steve Wilks‘ season and Kliff Kingsbury‘s first at the helm. This marks the first piece of offseason news regarding the veteran lineman.

This will be Shipley’s age-34 season. While the former seventh-round pick made his regular-season debut in 2012, he entered the NFL as a 2009 draftee. He has started 70 career games, including 16 last season.

Shipley’s best seasons came under Arians, with Pro Football Focus grading him as one of the game’s top centers during the Cards’ 13-3 season in 2015. Last season, however, PFF assigned him the 29th overall grade among snappers. The former Steelers draftee was, however, coming off an ACL tear — one that sidelined him throughout the 2018 campaign. Arians was with Pittsburgh when the franchise drafted Shipley 11 years ago.

Still, Tampa Bay did not previously possess much in the way of interior-line depth, featuring a host of UDFAs behind its starters. Ryan Jensen is set to enter his third season as the Bucs’ starting center.

Load More Posts