The Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren't wasting any time getting a new punter. Just hours after releasing Bryan Anger, the team is bringing in Bradley Pinion, according to Rick Stroud of The Tampa Bay Times.
In December of 2016, the Bucs signed Anger to a five-year, $17 million extension, but he didn't last long. Anger wasn't terrible, but Tampa Bay clearly thought it could upgrade. The Buccaneers likely got Pinion for a much cheaper price than Anger was set to command. Last season Anger punted 57 times for 2,567 yards, good for a 45.04 average.
Anger was one of the highest-drafted punters in recent memory when the Jacksonville Jaguars took him in the third round in 2012. He spent four years in Jacksonville and signed with the Bucs when his rookie contract ran out.
Pinion comes to Tampa Bay from San Francisco, where he had spent the past four years as the 49ers' punter. Pinion was taken in the fifth round by the 49ers in 2015. A Clemson product, Pinion has a career average of 43.7 yards per punt. Like Anger he has been mediocre — not terrible but not very good, either.
He probably signed for a relatively cheap price and won't necessarily be assured of the starting job. It's highly possible Tampa Bay will add a rookie for competition. The swapping of punters is the latest change Bruce Arians has made as he begins his takeover — and makeover — of the team. The Bucs have been relatively quiet in free agency thus far, but they did trade DeSean Jackson Monday.
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