Buccaneers injury opens the door for rookie to step up

Cam Gill, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Cam Gill, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

The Buccaneers are certainly hoping that Cam Gill can return from injury quickly, but this is part of the reason why they drafted Andre Anthony.

The Buccaneers could have a tough road ahead if they end up losing Cam Gill for any period of time. This won’t hurt on defense so much, but it will have an immediate impact on the special teams unit in Tampa.

Gill has been a huge special teams contributor for the Bucs over the last two seasons, and the team need to find someone who can also excel in this area if they end up looking for a replacement.

Carl Nassib is an obvious name to consider based on his time in Tampa and also as a part-time special teams player, but the Bucs might already have a quality replacement on their roster if they need someone for the short term.

Andre Anthony was drafted by the Bucs to compete for a depth role on defense and as a special teamer. Why not give him the shot now?

Anthony was never expected to be some game-changing pass rusher for the Bucs with their unit constructed in its current format. However, could Anthony play around ten special teams snaps per game? That is a different story.

This isn’t the most glamorous position to focus on replacing, but it will prove to be an important one if the Bucs can’t find a quality option and if Grant Stuard misses any real time too.

It might not seem like it at times, but the special teams unit is still very important for the Buccaneers, and losing key contributors like Gill is not going to play out well if the Bucs can’t find a way to roll with the punches.

Keep an extra eye on special teams over the next few weeks as the Buccaneers rookie from LSU tries to solidify a spot for himself going forward.

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