Buccaneers sign kicker Patrick Murray
It’s no longer a ‘pirate’s life’ for Buccaneers kicker, Nick Folk. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a new leg in town…and it’s a familiar one.
The Bucs have signed former New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns kicker Patrick Murray, as the team announced on Monday. Murray made 20 of 24 field goals for Tampa Bay in 2014, before appearing in two games for the Browns last season. The 26-year-old was cut by the Saints in training camp, and has recently struggled with some injuries.
The Bucs had invited Murray, Josh Lambo (former Chargers kicker), Marshall Koehn (former Iowa kicker), Cairo Santos (former Chiefs kicker), Andrew Franks (former Dolphins kicker) and Mike Nugent (veteran NFL kicker) to Tampa Bay on Monday for workouts.
While he may not exactly be a proven commodity, Murray does not have very big shoes to fill. Former second-round pick Roberto Aguayo repeatedly struggled last season, before losing the kicking competition with the veteran Folk during training camp. Folk essentially sealed his fate on Thursday night against the Patriots with three missed kicks in a 19-14 loss to New England.
Murray is expected to assume kicking duties for the Bucs immediately. Per ESPN, Folk will go on injured reserve with a “minor injury classification,” and will be released when he’s healthy.
-Mike D’Abate is the Managing Editor for cover32.com/Chargers and covers the Los Angeles Chargers. He is also a National Content Writer for cover32.com and covers the NFL.
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