Countdown to Cannons: Special Teams BoostJustin Pawlowski @CommishOnlineJuly 20, 2015
With 26 days to go, we countdown the days until the Bucs' 1st preseason game, and discuss a different Bucs player at length every day.While the Buccaneers have had a couple reliable return men during their nearly 40 years of existence, rarely have they had a legitimate threat returning kicks. The hope is that 6th round pick Kaelin Clay becomes that very soon."With Kaelin Clay, he was a guy that we targeted early," Bucs GM Jason Licht stated immediately after drafting Clay. "We were hoping to get him right about where we did, so it worked out for us. Another fast, explosive guy, (he’s) got a great background in terms of his speed and his production. He was I think third place in California coming out of high school in the 100-meter (dash). Out there, they have fast guys, so that’s pretty fast. Right now, it’s his job to lose, combo punt/kickoff returner. He’s got a little value on offense as well."Saying that the return job was Clay's to lose right after selecting him shows how high the Bucs are on their new speedster.In 2014, Clay averaged 15 yards per punt return and 25 yards per kickoff return, while returning a total of 4 kicks for touchdowns.“It helps our offense, it helps our defense, it helps our entire team," Licht said. "He’s going to be a fun guy to watch here in training camp and OTAs. I think he’s a guy that you’ve got a chance every time he gets it in his hands.”Lovie Smith had arguably the best return man in history while with the Bears. While no one is expecting Kaelin Clay to be the next Devin Hester, if he is able to add splash plays within the course of a game, the Bucs will have a much better shot at a respectable record in 2015 and beyond.
