The Buccaneers have agreed to terms on a contract for Bryan Anger, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). According to Caplan, it’s a one-year deal for the free agent punter.
Anger, who was memorably selected by the Jaguars in the third round of the 2012 draft just ahead of players like Russell Wilson and T.Y. Hilton, spent four seasons in Jacksonville, averaging 46.8 yards per punt during that time. However, the Jaguars opted not to re-sign him when he became a free agent this year, instead landing ex-Panthers punter Brad Nortman on a four-year contract.
Having lost Nortman to the Jags, the Panthers had some preliminary talks with Anger, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. But rather than joining the NFC champs, the 27-year-old will be signing with Carolina’s division rivals in Tampa Bay.
Jake Schum, who made his NFL debut in 2015, handled punting duties for the Buccaneers. Schum averaged just 41.9 yards per attempt, which ranked second-last in the league among qualified players, but his net average was a decent 38.0, and opposing returners totaled just 140 yards on his punts.
Schum’s hold on the starting job looks tenuous with Anger now in the mix, though we’ll have to see the terms on Anger’s new deal to get a sense of how open the competition will be.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.