On Monday, the Bucs signed five free agents to their roster. Wide receivers Travis Jonsen, Vyncint Smith and Austin Watkins were added to the receiver room. Meanwhile, punter Sterling Hofrichter and tackle Jonathan Hubbard will also get the opportunity to compete for jobs.
Jonsen spent each of the past two offseasons with the Bucs, impressing coaches. In the past, head coach Bruce Arians has even compared his skill set to Chris Godwin’s. Jonsen was released earlier this season, but will have another shot in Tampa Bay this spring. Jonsen has also served as the Bucs scout team quarterback, impersonating mobile signal callers. He’s impressed in past camps, but done very little in preseason action.
Hofrichter punted for the Bucs this past season, appearing in two games. The Bucs went back to Bradley Pinion following a brief injury, but Hofrichter impressed the coaches. Given Pinion’s struggles, Hofrichter could compete for the punting job this offseason.
Hubbard was in camp with the Bucs this past season, but didn’t make the final roster. He’ll compete with several other players for depth offensive line spots. Tampa Bay worked Smith out almost two weeks ago, impressed by the speedster’s athleticism. Meanwhile, Watkins hails from the 49ers practice squad. He’ll have his first stint in Tampa Bay this offseason.