The Bucs restarted their kicking competition last week when they brought back Connor Barth after he was cut by the Broncos.
After Saturday night’s preseason game, the Bucs might be restarting their kicking competition again this week.
Barth got the first chance Saturday night against the Browns, and he pushed a 43-yard field goal try wide right. Late in the game Patrick Murray missed a 44-yarder wide left.
That was Murray’s third miss of the preseason. He also missed an extra point, which prompted the Bucs to bring back Barth.
The Bucs cut Barth and kept Murray last year. Barth eventually caught on with the Broncos and kicked well, but this year he lost a camp battle to the man he replaced last December, Brandon McManus. Murray went 20-of-24 on field goals last year, his first in the NFL.
The Steelers have no healthy kickers, and the Browns have gone through camp with two players who have never kicked in the NFL, so there might be company next weekend when teams trim and shuffle their rosters. Perhaps the Bucs will use their spot atop the waiver wire to solve their kicking issue.