The Buccaneers added more pieces to their ever-growing roster of talent through the NFL draft, the most notable being offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs of Iowa.
The Buccaneers have championship expectations heading into 2020 after the signing of quarterback Tom Brady and the trade for tight end Rob Gronkowski, who will come out of retirement to reunite with Brady in Tampa. The offense seems all but unstoppable right now, and postseason expectations are high for Bruce Arians’ squad.
But, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows for the future Hall of Fame QB’s new team. The Bucs have had issues over the years finding a reliable kicker, and last year, rookie Matt Gay had a nightmare performance in Week 3’s loss to the New York Giants that brought back memories of Roberto Aguayo.
During his time in New England, Brady had only two kickers for almost the entirety of his 20-year run: Adam Vinatieri and Stephen Gostkowski. With stability like that at the position, it made two-minute drills and pressure situations more manageable knowing there was a reliable kicker waiting in the wings. After all, Vinatieri kicked game-winning field goals in the Patriots’ first two Super Bowl championships.
But how much faith should the Bucs have in Gay entering 2020? The 2019 fifth-round pick missed eight field goals last season, going 27-for-35, while also going 43-for-48 on extra points. Tampa Bay will obviously go into training camp with Gay, but competition could be good to ensure the team finds the best kicker they can for this championship run.
Oh, by the way, Gostkowski was released by the Patriots last month. Just saying…
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