There are a handful of pretty significant questions the Tampa Bay Bucaneers need to answer this offseason, but one that has gotten a little lost involves what the future looks like at punter. It doesn’t outwardly seem like a major thing to address, but the Bucs have been struggling to find a solution to a problem that unfortunately started when Jake Camarda crashed out back in October.
Camarda was one of the most important players on the team over the last two seasons, but he lost his magic touch during the preseason and never recovered. Things got so bad that he was benched for most of the first quarter of the season before he was ultimately released.
It was a stunning fall from grace, and it created a void that Tampa Bay was unable to effectively fill. Trenton Gil and Jake Browning did their best but it became clear over the course of the year that something needed to happen this offseason to fix the problem.
We have a long way to go before training camp and any debate is definitively settled, but the Bucs have taken the first steps toward hopefully figuring out a long-term plan.
Buccaneers sign record-breaking CFL punter to potentially replace Jake Camarda
Technically any punter the Bucs sign I will be replacing Browning, who most recently held the job, but this has always been about finding someone to bring things back to the level Camarda was at.
It seems the team is hoping that record-breaking CFL punter Jake Julien is capable of taking up the mantle. The Bucs signed Julien to a futures contract this week, which doesn’t mean anything right now but could give them the Camarda replacement they’ve been searching for.
#Buccaneers signing strong-legged, All @CFL @GoElks punter Jake Julien to a reserve-future deal, worked him out in December, per a league source @KPRC2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) January 16, 2025
The reason it doesn’t mean much right now is because the contract isn’t official until the new league year begins in March. Futures contracts are exactly what they sound like, as teams can essentially call dibs on a player who is already a free agent and get their ducks in a row for when free agency officially opens.
Julien is adjacent to the signing of quarterback Michael Pratt in that he isn’t a lock to get a roster spot in August but he does provide tremendous upside. Pratt is a potential replacement for Kyle Trask while Julien could fill the punter role — and both are record-breakers.
Pratt set records while at Tulane, while Julien posted the best punting average in CFL history last year. He logged and average of 54.0 yards per punt with his longest going for 87 yards. All of that sounds great but also harkens back to the type of stuff Camarda was doing before he fell off.
Flipping the field was a big reason why the Bucs were able to stay afloat in 2023 while the offense struggled, and had they been able to do that this year it would have helped out a depleted defense. Julien isn’t a lock just yet, but he checks all the right boxes and could be among the next class of fantastic additions that Jason Licht and his front office land for the future.
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