Return On Investment: Special Teams

Tampa Bay may have never fielded a more successful punt team in franchise history than it did this past fall.

In 2015, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ranked 31st in the NFL in gross punting average and 27th in net punting average. That underwhelming performance may not have been one of the main reasons the Buccaneers finished 6-10, but punting was clearly not a team strength.

General Manager Jason Licht and Head Coach Dirk Koetter found an avenue to address that shortcoming, and address it quickly: Free agency.

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In 2016, the punt team was an enormous strength for the 9-7 Buccaneers, particularly as the team found itself in a series of very close games…