The Bucks were scheduled to begin a new week of practice this afternoon. Some easy member changes.
According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Tampa Bay has released quarterback Zach Annekstad and signed punter Nolan Cooney. Annekstad signed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent out of Illinois State but was injured during his senior year.
#Buccaneers Signed punter Nolan Cooney. To free up space, activated quarterback Zach Annekstad off the non-football injured list, where he was still counting on the 90-man roster limit.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) August 12, 2024
Buccaneers quarterback plans
Tambay knew Zach Annekstad still had to recover. His shoulder injury The hope was coming out of last season that he would be able to bounce back during training camp, but that didn’t happen. He didn’t play during OTAs, minicamp or training camp. Since he still counts on the 90-man roster, it would make sense to let him go and revisit him once he’s fully recovered.
Buccaneers GM Jason Licht, head coach Todd Bowles and offense manager Liam Cohen – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR
This doesn’t change anything at quarterback because the Buccaneers have always been a three-man trio of Baker Mayfield, Kyle Trask and John Wolford, so if Tampa Bay were to consider adding another quarterback, they would have to learn the offense quickly, likely depriving Trask and Wolford of practice opportunities.
Head coach Todd Bowles said there is still competition between the two for the backup role, given that with another on the practice squad, there are only two quarterbacks left on the roster. Need to see it again and again As much as possible.
Nolan Cooney Background
New Buccaneers punter Nolan Cooney played college football at Syracuse University and has been touring the league in hopes of joining an NFL team since 2021. He originally signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent that year but was cut from the roster in August.
Buccaneers P Nolan Cooney – Photo courtesy of USA Today
Cooney signed a future contract with the Cardinals heading into the 2022 season, but was waived again in August. He signed with the Colts on the practice squad for one week in October, but was waived the following week. Cooney returned to the Cardinals’ practice squad later that season, and was promoted to the active roster for a November game, but was waived four days later.
In the 2023 season, Cooney finally got his chance and participated in several games of the NFL regular season. He won the punting job in training camp and punted in the first four games of the season. Cooney had 13 punts for 592 yards, an average of 45.5 yards, with two of them landing inside the 20. After those four games, Cooney was fired and Arizona hired Blake Gillikin as their new punter.
Buccaneers P Jake Camarda – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR
Jake Camarda is still developing and entering his third year in the NFL. It would be a shock if Cooney were to take the position over the former fourth-round pick. In reality, Camarda also handles kickoffs for the Buccaneers, so this would likely be an opportunity where he doesn’t have to use his feet as much.
Camarda was named Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 2 of last season and also won Special Teams Player of the Month in September of the season’s first year. He is on his way to joining the ranks of the league’s best punters and his kicking versatility makes him a valuable option for the Buccaneers.
Camarda also replaced Chase McLaughlin, who had a great season as kicker and earned himself a new contract as a result.
