- Six players, including former Panthers WR David Gettis will get a chance to compete in mini-camp on tryout contracts
- The tryout players are hoping to win a spot on the 90-man roster heading into training camp
- The only rookie among the six is P Kirby Van Der Kamp, who also took part in the Bucs' rookie camp in May
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers invited several dozen tryout players to participate in their rookie mini-camp in May but did not, in the end, sign any of them to the 90-man roster they will take to training camp. This week, the Buccaneers will conduct their final three days of practice before training camp, and six more free agents will get a chance to earn a roster spot.
Tampa Bay's three-day mandatory mini-camp begins on Tuesday and will include the following players who are participating on a tryout basis:
|
Player |
Pos. |
College |
|
Anthony Dye |
S |
UCLA |
|
Kip Edwards |
CB |
Missouri |
|
T.J. Fatinikun |
LB |
Toledo |
|
David Gettis |
WR |
Baylor |
|
Ronald Talley |
DT |
Delaware |
|
Kirby Van Der Kamp |
P |
Iowa State |
Unlike the group of undrafted free agents that tried out during the Bucs' rookie camp, this list is comprised mostly of players who have previously been with other NFL teams. Only Van Der Kamp, who actually was one of the those tryout players during rookie camp and is back for a second attempt, is looking for his first NFL contract.
Gettis (6-3, 217) is probably the most familiar name on the list to Buccaneer fans, as he spent his first four NFL seasons in the NFC South with the Carolina Panthers. A sixth-round draft pick in 2010, he played in 15 games with 13 starts as a rookie and contributed 37 catches for 508 yards and three touchdowns. Unfortunately, Gettis tore the ACL in his left knee in training camp the following year and that injury plus a hamstring problem the next summer essentially kept him off the field for two years. He attempted a return for the Panthers last year and had a team-high 11 catches during the preseason but was waived/injured at the end of August. The Washington Redskins re-signed him after the 2013 season but he was released in mid-May.
WR David Gettis had a promising rookie season with the Panthers in 2010 but has been slowed by injuries since
Dye (5-10, 201) lost his rookie season to an ankle injury after signing as an undrafted free agent with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2012. He spent about half of last season on the Bengals' practice squad but did get a brief promotion to the active roster, appearin gin one game. Dye signed with the Oakland Raiders in January but was waived after the draft.
Edwards (6-1, 193) is trying to make a regular-season roster for the first time after entering the league as an undrafted free agen with the Buffalo Bills a year ago. He landed spots on the practice squads in Cleveland and Minnesota during the 2013 season and was re-signed by the Vikings at the end of the campaign. The Vikings waived Edwards last Tuesday.
Fatinikun (6-1, 245) racked up 14 sacks as a sophomore at Toledo in 2010 but suffered a torn Achilles tendon during his senior season and went undrafted. After a tryout with the Kansas City Chiefs, he ended up in the Arena League, playing for the Orlando Thunder before a recent trade to the Orlando Predators.
Talley (6-3, 282) signed with the Green Bay Packers as a rookie free agent in 2009 and spent his entire rookie season on their practice squad. Waived just before the start of his second season, he eventually landed on Arizona's practice suad in November of 2010, then re-signed with the Cardinals in 2011 and once again ended up on the practice squad. The Cardinals promoted Talley to the active roster early in the 2011 campaign and over the last three years he has appeared in 15 games, made one start and contributed 14 tackles and a pass defensed.
Van Der Kamp (6-3, 201) held down the punting duties at Iowa State for four years, beginning with a 2010 season that earned him first-team Freshman All-America status. He finished his Cyclones career with 289 punts, the most in Big 12 history and a gross average of 42.4 yards per kick. His career totals also included 99 punts downed inside the 20 and 71 blasts of 50 or more yards.
