The Tampa Bay Bucs continue to look for kicking help.
Only days after re-adding kicker Connor Barth to the team roster, the Bucs acquired rookie kicker Kyle Brindza, a former Notre Dame kicker, in a trade for tight end Tim Wright. The Bucs had traded Wright to the New England Patriots in the trade for guard Logan Mankins last year but reclaimed him when the Patriots released him.
Brindza finished his career at Notre Dame as the school’s leader in field goals made and third all-time on the team’s scoring list with 288 points. He also punted.
Brindza was born with a club foot that was corrected by several surgeries.
“Growing up with a clubfoot, I was always oblivious to it,” Brindza said at the combine. “I was another kid out there, and my dream and aspirations were to play in the NFL or play professional soccer, and I never looked back on it. I always knew if something wrong happens, figure out (a way) to make it better and better yourself each and every day because one day that door will come knocking down and you’ll be able to play in the NFL.”
With the Bucs, he will challenge incumbent Patrick Murray, but head coach Lovie Smith has seemed restless about his kicker.
Smith doesn’t seem very comfortable with his punting situation, either. Rookie Karl Schmidt was cut this week, but the team used only two punters in its loss to Cleveland – Schmidt and Jacob Schum, each of whom kicked four times. Incumbent Michael Koenen is still on the roster.
