The Buccaneers have a new special teams coordinator for 2024, but the team’s kicking operation will have continuity. The team announced on Friday that long snapper Zach Triner has re-signed on a one-year deal.
Triner has been in place with Tampa Bay since 2019, playing a full season all but once during his five-year tenure with the organization. He was limited to nine contests in 2021 due to a finger injury, but he has been healthy and consistent since then. Coming off a two-year, $2.35MM deal, Triner could have headed elsewhere in free agency, but instead he has elected to remain with the team he has seen his only NFL action with.
The former UDFA spent time with the Jets and Packers before joining the Bucs on a futures deal. He took over from Garrison Sanborn after the latter’s contract expired, leading to this successful ongoing tenure in Tampa Bay. Triner was a member of the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl winning team and he has amassed 10 career special teams tackles (including three stops last season).
The 33-year-old will be working under special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey after he was hired to take the place of the retired Keith Armstrong. The former will have the same three players at the long snapper, punter and kicker positions to work with as the latter did in 2023, though. Triner, Jake Camarda and Chase McLaughlin are on the books for at least one more year; McLaughlin inked a three-year pact earlier this offseason after his succesful debut campaign in Tampa.
2023 saw the Buccaneers post an 18th-place finish in special teams DVOA. McGaughey will aim to guide the team to an improvement in that regard this season, and Triner will play a small role in that effort for a sixth season in his current home. Tampa Bay also has long snapper Evan Deckers on the books due to the futures contract he signed in January, but his path to playing time in Tampa Bay has been narrowed.