After a disastrous 2019 season that led to him being cut by the Tennessee Titans, kicker Ryan Succop has landed on his feet with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafalo, the Bucs are set to waive second-year kicker Matt Gay, which paves the way for Succop to become the starter.
#Buccaneers are waiving K Matt Gay, sources tell me and @TomPelissero. Last year's fifth-round pick. Ryan Succop takes over in Tampa.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) September 4, 2020
Succop was brought in by the Bucs and signed just days ago. Before his arrival, Tampa Bay had a competition going between Gay and Elliot Fry. The former was waived once Succop was signed.
This was quite a quick turnaround for Succop, who spent two stints on Injured Reserve in 2019 with a knee issue following offseason surgery.
The 33-year-old was unexpectedly placed on IR prior to Week 1, and upon his return in Week 9 he simply wasn’t the same reliable kicker we saw in years past. After making just 1-of-6 kicks, Succop was shut down for the season.
However, it was apparent that Succop was feeling better after he released a video of himself crushing 60-yard field goals in Nashville in mid-August.
Since releasing Succop, the Titans had their own kicker competition between Greg Joseph and Tucker McCann, but that was scrapped after both players failed to impress, leading to the team signing Stephen Gostkowski.
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