The Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded tight end Tim Wright to the Detroit Lions on Monday morning in exchange for kicker Kyle Brindza, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, making it the second time in just over a year that Tampa Bay has shipped off the young tight end.
The Buccaneers can’t stop trading Tim Wright
For the second year in a row, the Buccaneers traded Tim Wright in August.
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Wright, 25, was traded by the Buccaneers last August too when the team sent him to the New England Patriots along with a fourth-round pick for Logan Mankins. Wright caught 26 passes for 259 yards and six touchdowns with the Patriots, but disappeared late in the year and took just 10 snaps in the postseason during the team's Super Bowl-winning run.
During the summer he was released by the Patriots and scooped back up by the Buccaneers, but sat at fourth on the depth chart before he was sent packing again, this time to Detroit. Had the team not found a trade partner, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times says Wright likely would’ve been released.
The Lions are an odd landing spot for Wright because the team already has a depth chart full of young pass-catching tight ends. Brandon Pettigrew and Eric Ebron, the team's first-round picks in 2009 and 2014, respectively, claim the first two spots on the depth chart with both listed as starters. The addition of Wright could spell trouble for Joseph Fauria, though.
Fauria, who is best known for his touchdown dances, made a big impact as an undrafted rookie in 2013, catching seven touchdown passes, but finished 2014 with just six receptions and one touchdown, due largely to a sprained ankle he suffered when trying to stop his puppy from peeing inside the house.
With a pair of talented pass catchers already on the team, the addition of Wright to the roster could spell the end of the road for Fauria, who has just two receptions for 19 yards in the preseason.
Brindza, an undrafted rookie, kicked three successful field goals for the Lions in preseason, including tries from 49 and 51 yards. He kicked touchbacks on seven of eight kickoffs, but didn’t beat out Matt Prater for the job after the former Denver Broncos kicker signed a three-year deal with the Lions earlier in the year.
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