The Tampa Bay Buccaneers surprised everyone this offseason when they spent one of their 2022 draft picks on Georgia punter Jake Camarda.
Camarda was one of only four punters that were selected in the draft, and punters are typically not a position most NFL teams invest in heavily with draft picks.
This must have been a sign of things to come in Tampa. On Wednesday, reports emerged that the team will be moving forward with Camarda as their punter heading into the 2022 NFL season, and will be releasing veteran punter Bradley Pinion.
Pinion has handled punting and kickoff duties for the team since his arrival in Tampa Bay in 2019. He has typically been a reliable player for the team, but it was a difficult 2021 campaign for Pinion; he saw his yards per punt decrease to 42.5 , the lowest mark of his seven-year NFL career.
Pinion played through a torn hip labrum last year, which likely played a role in his yards-per-punt numbers dropping to a career-low.
Despite the injury, it appears Pinion will be healthy heading into 2022 with whichever team he ends up on. He passed a physical on Tuesday, and he will be expected to garner some interest with teams unsure about their punting situation around the NFL.
Punting is one of the underrated aspects of football that can play a big role in the outcome of a game. Someone will likely be getting a capable veteran in Pinion in free agency.
[Pro Football Talk; image from Kim Klement/USA Today Sports]
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.