While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wrapped up the preseason on Friday night with a win over the Miami Dolphins, not everyone had a great night.
More than a few players stood above the rest and either gave fans confidence that rust had been shaken off or made a case for a roster spot, but Jake Camarda was not among them. The Bucs punter had just three kicks on the evening, one of which failed to travel 40 yards, and he ended the night with one of the worst averages he's turned in.
Camarda isn't one of the players on the roster bubble who needed to have a good game to stick around, but his poor performance caught the attention -- and drew the ire -- of head coach Todd Bowles.
Jake Camarda gets called out by Todd Bowles after preseason finale
Bowles spoke with the media the morning after the Bucs win, and it was there that he called the punting game a part of the roster he's not happy with heading into the regular season. Not only did Camarda get his ears boxed by his coach, but Bowles went so far as to say the team will consider carrying a second punter into the season.
That's a storm cloud off in the distance worth monitoring.
"It's not an area I'm very happy with," Bowles says of the Bucs' punting game with Jake Camarda. Said the team might carry a second punter on the practice squad as continued competition to encourage better play.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 24, 2024
Camarda isn't in any immediate danger of losing his job, mostly because he's done more good for the Bucs than what we saw out of him on Friday night. When he's on his game, Camarda is one of the best punters in the league, which is why his lackidasical preseason has been so frustrating.
The Bucs need Camarda to be the player he's proven to be in the past. He's a game changing punter who was arguably as important to keeping the team in games last year as Antoine Winfield Jr.; his ability to flip the field is invaluable but he's hardly looked like himself so far.
Perhaps it's just rust that needs to be shaken off, but Camarda has left a lot to be desired despite everyone knowing his potential. Bowles calling him out, and calling in some competition, might be the kick in the rear he needs to get back to the Pro Bowl level he's capable of.
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