The Tampa Bay Buccaneers switched long-snappers to start the 2024, giving the job to first-year player Evan Deckers after Zach Triner had held it the previous five seasons. By necessity, they are now switching back.
Deckers sustained a hamstring injury in the Buccaneers' Week Three game against Denver that has forced him to injured reserve. The team made that move on Tuesday while also re-signing Triner, an obvious and good choice to fill that void.
Tampa Bay also made a trio of moves on their practice, including the re-signing of first-year cornerback Keenan Isaac. Isaac had been released on Friday when the team needed a roster spot to promote defensive lineman C.J. Brewer from the practice squad. In addition, the Bucs signed punter Trenton Gill to that 16-man crew and released punter Seth Vernon.
Triner first landed the Buccaneers' long-snapping job in 2019 and he went on to appear in 75 regular season games from then through last season. In addition to snapping without incident on field goals and punts, he also recorded 10 special teams tackles. He played in nine postseason games, as well, and was part of the Super Bowl LV championship team in the 2020 season. He previously wore jersey number 97 but will now take number 45
Gill has played in 34 NFL games, all for the Chicago Bears, after being drafted in the seventh round of the 2022 draft. He handled all the punting duties for the Bears the past two seasons, recording a gross average of 46.1 yards per kick and a net average of 39.1. He went to training camp with the Denver Broncos this summer. Gill, who played his college ball at North Carolina State, will wear number 16 for the Buccaneers.
The Bucs originally signed Isaac as an undrafted free agent out of Alabama State in 2023, and he spent most of his rookie season on the team's practice squad. He was elevated for game day twice and spent three weeks on the active roster, eventually seeing action in two games. Isaac went back to training camp with the Bucs this summer but was waived in the roster cutdown to 53 and claimed by the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers subsequently waived him on September 7 and he was re-signed by Tampa Bay three days later after the team suffered a rash of injuries at the cornerback position in their season opener. He was active and played on special teams in the Bucs' Week Two win in Detroit.
