Possibly the weakest part of the 2024 Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster was at the punter position, with the team struggling to get consistent production. After bringing in Riley Dixon this offseason, head coach Todd Bowles and the rest of the organization feel confident in what to expect at punter.
In his first action in a Buccaneers uniform during Saturday’s preseason game against the Tennessee Titans, Dixon continued to prove he will be an asset for the team in 2025. The 31-year-old punted three times for 147 yards (49-yard average), with a long of 57 and one finishing inside the 20-yard line.
“[Dixon’s] been great all camp for us, spring and summer,” Bowles said. “In [Saturday’s] game, he did a heck of a job pinning [the Titans] back there… Look for him to be a weapon for us this year.”
The Buccaneers Hope Dixon Remains a Top Punter
One of the most important stats when looking at the success of a punter is the player’s net average yards per punt. This is a statistical measurement of punt effectiveness that subtracts returned yards and 20 yards for touchbacks from the total gross punt yardage.
Riley Dixon was ranked ninth in the league in net average yards in 2024, with 42.0, his highest mark since the 2019 season. He paired that with his career high number of punts inside the 20-yard line, with 33, which was sixth best in the NFL last year.
Bouncing around to three different teams through the first nine years of his career, Dixon has consistently been roughly a league-average punter in most metrics. The 2024 season was arguably the best of his career to this point, helping the Denver Broncos make the playoffs.
His big year earned Dixon a two-year, $6 million contract to come to Tampa Bay this offseason and be the team’s starting punter. Both Dixon and the Buccaneers are happy with the fit to this point.
“I’m happy to be [in Tampa Bay],” Dixon said. “I’ve got a job to do like everybody else, and I’m really looking forward to playing for this coach, and this team, and this organization, and just putting my best foot forward.”
Bowles and the Bucs Are Glad to Avoid a Punting Rotation
In 2024, Tampa Bay used three different punters throughout the season, never truly finding a consistent option. With Dixon playing in every game of every season dating back to his rookie year of 2016, the Buccaneers are excited to have some stability.
“It’ll be a breath of fresh air for me this year,” Bowles said.
Jake Camarda began the 2024 season doing the punting for Tampa Bay after two years starting all 17 games. Despite success in 2022 and 2023, last year was different, just playing in four games and being released by the team in Week 8.
Trenton Gill appeared in a team-high eight games in 2024 for the Buccaneers, but was replaced by Jack Browning for the last five games of the regular season, as well as the team’s Wild Card Round loss to the Washington Commanders.
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