Buccaneers: Why cutting Cameron Kinley was the right move

Cameron Kinley gave it his all to make the Buccaneers, but in the end, Tampa made the right but hard decision for their defense.

The thought of any soldier playing in a pro sport in the U.S. always creates a certain amount of patriotism and pride that few other actions can mirror. As a country that generally sees service on the battlefield as one of the only actions more “American” than playing sports, anyone that does both will always illicit a great deal of emotions from fans.

This is precisely why the story of Cameron Kinley was so moving for many Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans and NFL fans alike as he tried to make the Bucs final roster.

Despite the obvious draw of signing Cameron Kinley to the final roster, Bruce Arians made the unpopular decision to cut him from the final roster, displaying clearly that he believes talent matters more than the story surrounding any one player. The reality is that the Bucs have no need for another cornerback, a position they are already exceedingly deep in this season.

By carrying Cameron Kinley in a position where he would most-likely never get a second of playing time, he would only take away a spot from someone that Arians believes can be developed this season or even make an on-field impact.

With the return of the entire starting roster from last year, the Bucs simply didn’t have enough roster spots to keep players who earned their spots directly from on-field performance.

Despite being cut, Kinley left the Bucs organization with nothing but class saying how grateful he was for the opportunity and wished the Bucs the best in the coming season. 

As the next few seasons come and go, the ability of Arians to ignore potential critics of this and any future moves should prove to be a valuable skill to have if the Buccaneers hope to remain a top-tier team over the next decade.

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