At his day-after-game press conference on Monday, Head Coach Todd Bowles said the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were "definitely going to take a look at" the punter position following the struggles by Trenton Gill in Sunday's win over the Carolina Panthers. It didn't take the team long to come to a decision.
On Monday afternoon, the Buccaneers released Gill, who had handled the punting and kickoff duties in eight of the team's first 12 games. Two of those appearances came while Gill was on the practice squad and was elevated for game day. The last six were after Gill was promoted to the active roster to replace Jake Camarda, who was waived on October 22.
The Buccaneers did not immediately replace Gill on the roster, but they do have rookie punter Jack Browning on the practice squad. Browning originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of San Diego State with the Buffalo Bills in May, and he joined the Bucs' practice squad on October 23.
Bowles said the Buccaneers kicking-game woes on Sunday were "very concerning." Carolina's first touchdown came on a short drive after Gill's punt in the second quarter went just 22 yards. After the Buccaneers took a 20-16 lead with three minutes left in the fourth quarter, Gill's kickoff hit the ground short of the Panthers' 20-yard line, which under the new rules adopted this year resulted in the ball being placed at the 40. The ensuing drive ended in a Panthers go-ahead touchdown with 30 seconds left in regulation.
Gill's punting numbers in his eight games with the Buccaneers included a 45.3-yard gross average, a 38.9-yard net average, one touchback and nine punts placed inside the 20. Gill's kickoff numbers included 32 attempts, with 27 reaching the end zone and 25 resulting in touchbacks. Before his release, Camarda had posted gross and net averages of 45.3 and 36.5.
Gill was the Chicago Bears' punter in 2022 and 2023. Overall, he has punted 160 times with a gross average of 45.6 yards and a net of 38.6.
