Bucs Waive Punter Jake Camarda

After the Bucks gave him a healthy scratch again. In the loss in week 7 In his move to the Baltimore Ravens, the team decided to waive punter Jake Camarda permanently. Tampa Bay had high hopes for the former Georgia Bulldog when they selected him in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, but his inconsistency from 2023 to this season ultimately led to him becoming a special player in the sport. I lost trust in my team.

Bucks P Jake Camarda – Photo Credit: USA Today

Camarda is Under contract He had until the 2025 season, but had relatively little guaranteed money left on his contract. The Bucks will save the remainder of his $985,000 2024 salary, a salary cap hit of $766,111.11, but add $170,079 in prorated bonus fees from his signing bonus and $218,888.89 in salary already paid. This year’s total cap fee will be $388,968. The team will also collect a dead cap charge of $170,079 in 2025.

Bucks value consistency over potential

Throughout his short career, Camarda made several high-end plays that maximized his potential as a punter. in him rookie season He tied for third in the NFL in yards per punt at 48.9. His net rating for the year was 41.7, good for 12th in the league. He followed that up in 2023 with a 49.8 average (7th) and a 41.8 net (t-19th). Additionally, Camarda ranks 9th overall in EPA/Punt, which helps better gauge the impact of each punt on final field position.

But while Camarda’s average results were very impressive, the road to getting there was a long and windy road littered with shanks and missed kicks. And ultimately, it was that contradiction that made him wear out his welcome in Tampa Bay. The Bucks opted to use Trenton Gill, who was signed to the practice squad at the beginning of the season and promoted for games against the Eagles, Falcons and Ravens. Monday night’s game was the third and final promotion for the Bucks to use him, along with Gill on the practice squad.

Bucks P. Trenton Gill – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR

Gill punted four times in his first action with the Bucs. None were longer than 42 yards and three were under 40. Gill averaged 37.5 yards per boot, with one inside the 20. The first punt of the game was forced by Gunner Josh Hayes into Eagles return man Cooper Dejean, resulting in a positive play for the Bucs. A fumble that the Bucs recovered deep in Philadelphia territory.

Late in the game, Gill was called upon to prevent Kelly Lingo from returning a blocked extra point attempt. Unfortunately, Gil was unable to push Ringo out of bounds, and the Eagles scored two points on this play. Given Camarda’s well-documented athleticism, one might wonder if he was keeping those points off the board.

During Thursday night’s game in Atlanta, Gill completed two punts, averaging 43.5 yards per kick and one touchback. On Monday night, he again completed two punts, posting his best average ever of 46.5, long 52, and one punt that came inside the 20. The key to it all was that so many fair catches were required that no punt return yards were allowed. .

Gil doesn’t represent an upgrade over Camarda overall, but he may offer more consistency. This could be appealing to the Bucks brass making this move.

Perhaps Camarda will be linked up with other clubs in the future. With his big feet, kickoff ability and track record of inconsistent success, he should find suitors. Until then, there will always be this incredible highlight.