9:23am: The Buccaneers have now announced Barth’s signing in a press release, making it official.
9:08am: A day after waiving Kyle Brindza, the Buccaneers have found a new kicker — their old kicker. Tampa Bay is re-signing Connor Barth, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). We heard yesterday that Barth, Kai Forbath, Randy Bullock, and Billy Cundiff were working out for the Bucs.
Barth, 29, was the Bucs’ full-time kicker from 2009 to 2012, converting on 84.3% of his field goal attempts during that stretch, including 12 of 18 from beyond 50 yards. After being sidelined for the entire 2013 season, Barth signed with the Broncos last season and made 15 of 16 field goals for Denver. However, he was cut by both the Broncos and the Bucs prior to the 2015 season.
Brindza initially beat out Barth – and Patrick Murray – for the Buccaneers’ kicking job this season, but the rookie missed seven kicks (five field goals and two extra points) in Tampa Bay’s last two games, forcing the club to make a change. Yesterday, Bucs head coach Lovie Smith indicated that the team’s top priority in a new career was accuracy, so the fact that Barth isn’t known for his booming kickoffs is a secondary concern for Tampa Bay.
It’ll be a two-year deal for Barth, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter).