Matt Gay’s departure came as a massive surprise. The Bucs drafted him just one year ago, and his first season was far from great, but it wasn’t without its bright spots. After a rough start to training camp, the Buccaneers decided that veteran Ryan Succop was the safer option.
Succop has been a kicker in the NFL for over a decade, and he has the opportunity to be the first consistent kicker for the Bucs in a similar period.
It’s impossible to place all of the blame on Gay for any of the losses in 2019, but his missed kicks certainly played a role in those losses. Succop is an opportunity for the Bucs to bring in an older, experienced kicker at the expense of future potential.
Succop has a career make percentage on field goals of 82.2%, which is an improvement over Gay’s 77.1.
Tampa Bay doesn’t need anything crazy from their kicker in terms of distance or quantity, but they do need consistency from close range. Gay was sporadic with his kicks, making some from an insane distance but also missing PATs. Succop may not have the range, but his consistency is what won Bruce Arians over.
With the position being his for the foreseeable future, Ryan Succop could be the highest scorer for the Buccaneers in 2020 and could be given several opportunities for game-winning kicks.