Each offseason, there are Tampa Bay Buccaneers players who make a name for themselves and then slip into obscurity when training camps begin. There is a reason for that. During OTAs and mini-camps, fringe players tend to get more work.
When camp begins, veterans are taking reps on par with a full NFL game. That leaves those same fringe players standing on the sideline watching. That means every snap, rep, run, jump, and, unfortunately, injury can leave an impression on a coaching staff.
On Wednesday, linebacker Mohamed Kamara and Chris Braswell collided while doing drills. Mohamed limped off the field. While it appears to be nothing serious, it puts doubt and questions into the coaches' minds. On a field where a player can make positive impressions, the last thing you want that impression to be is limping.
Mohamed Kamara comes up limping after unfortunate collision during Tampa Bay Buccaneers OTAs
We have to face reality, as much as Kamara does as well. He wasn't making the final 53, and the best he could hope for was a practice squad spot.
Kamara is buried deep on the Buccaneers' roster, behind Braswell, who needs to start impressing his coaches before he, too, gets replaced. For Kamara, Braswell is in the way of Kamara making the roster. Despite Braswell not playing, well, Kamara has done nothing throughout the offseason to change his own narrative.
Today's injury, whatever it turns out to be, will serve as a reminder for the coaching staff that he may not be in their future plans, or present ones for that matter.
Kamara is at a career crossroads. His one season with the Miami Dolphins, after being drafted in the 5th round, amounted to five games and no starts. Worse? He managed just one tackle. For the Bucs last season, he appeared in three games but didn't register a tackle on the defensive side of the ball.
Making all of this worse for him, he only took 45% of special teams plays last year. For a player hoping to make a roster, special teams is where you provide the value, so far he hasn't done that either.
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