Tampa Bay Adds Potter at Kicker as Preseason Roster Battle Takes Shape

The Buccaneers brought in kicker B.T. Potter on Monday, adding a college pedigree to their special teams room less than a month after signing undrafted free agent Colin Laros in May. Potter arrives as a former Steelers camp invitee with a strong Clemson resume—75.3% on field goals and 99.6% on extra points across 59 career games—but enters a crowded and unsettled positional situation in Tampa Bay.

Potter's path to the NFL has been indirect. He went undrafted despite his ACC credentials and a Lou Groza Award semifinalist nod in 2022, then spent time in Pittsburgh's preseason system before landing with Tampa Bay. His college numbers were reliable without being spectacular: 20-of-26 field goals (76.9%) and perfect on PATs in his final season. The 2023 preseason stint with the Steelers gave him live reps, but he didn't stick on an active roster, suggesting he profiles as developmental depth rather than an immediate solution.

The timing reveals the Buccaneers' uncertainty at the position. Laros, signed May 12, was itself a credentialing move—a four-year college player with two seasons at Kentucky, two at Charlotte, and one at Tennessee-Martin. The fact that Tampa Bay is still auditioning multiple candidates into June signals either dissatisfaction with an incumbent (if one exists) or an open competition heading into camp. Special teams consistency matters less in prop betting during June, but it matters enormously for team-total projections come season, because missed field goals and extra points can swing outcomes by 3-4 points per game, and volatile kicker performance inflates point-spread volatility.

Neither Potter nor Laros carries the track record to inspire confidence yet. Potter's college efficiency was solid but not elite—75% field-goal accuracy ranks as competent Division I production, not standout. In the NFL, that translates to a backend-of-roster kicker competing for a job, not a franchise cornerstone. The Buccaneers' decision to bring in multiple candidates suggests they're not banking on either one being the long-term answer. For bettors, the play here is defensive: avoid leaning too heavily on precise total projections for Tampa Bay games until camp settles the kicker role. A volatile leg can turn a 47-point total into a 50-point variance trap. Hold off locking in Buccaneers team totals and totals until the competition resolves, likely in late July or early August.

The prop implication is marginal but real. Kicker performance variance—missed PATs, missed chip-shot field goals in close games—can swing game outcomes by 2-4 points. If Potter wins the job and underperforms his college conversion rate, the Buccaneers' point-per-game output could trail expectations. Conversely, if Laros wins it and is solid, it's a non-story. The uncertainty itself is the edge: don't price Tampa Bay totals or spreads with precision until the kicking battle concludes.