On Tuesday afternoon, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers waived a former fourth-round NFL draft pick, punter Jake Camarda. The former Georgia Bulldog specialist had been struggling this season.
Coach Todd Bowles released a statement on the decision via social media.
Camarda was averaging 45.3 yards per punt, which ranked a disappointing 31st in the league. He had only five punts that landed inside the 20, which was 29th. It was decision neither side wanted, but it seemed inevitable given the Buccaneers are looking to contend in the NFC. Tampa Bay has no room for error after it suffered multiple devastating injuries on Monday Night Football.
The former highly touted punter will look for a new NFL home. When he is on top of his game, he was one of the best punters throughout the league.
Here’s the full quote today from Todd Bowles on Jake Camarda’s struggles: pic.twitter.com/fNAjK4zxIV
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) October 22, 2024
Camarda’s release seems rash based on the fact that he has a small sample size this season (13 punts) and averaged over 50 yards per punt in 2023.