The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had all but one anticipated participant at their first offseason practice of the year on Tuesday. On Wednesday, they'll have one more.
Joining the on-field work will be second-year placekicker Kai Forbath, who the Buccaneers claimed off waivers from the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday afternoon. Forbath intends to report immediately to his new team.
The former UCLA standout spent his rookie season on the reserve/non-football injury list after being signed by the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent last summer. Due to a pre-existing quad injury, he was placed on the reserve list just prior to the start of the Cowboys' training camp. Dallas waived Forbath on Monday.
Tuesday's addition gives the Buccaneers' two placekickers on the roster, as well as incumbent Connor Barth, who is currently a free agent but who has had the franchise tag applied to him. First-year player Jacob Rogers handled the team's kicking duties on the practice field on Tuesday.
During his four years as the Bruins' kicker, Forbath connected on 85 of his 101 field goal attempts, recording a success rate of 84.2% that ranks second in school history. He showed extremely good range, making 10 of his 13 attempts of 50 yards or more. In 2009, he claimed the Lou Groza Award as the nation's top kicker after making 28 of his 31 field goal tries and scoring a career-high 108 points. As a senior in 2010, Forbath was once again a semi-finalist for the Groza Award.
