Bucs Lose Valuable Special Team Player To NFC Rival
Josh Queipo, a member of the Pewter Report team since 2022, focuses on salary cap analysis and film study. In addition to his official duties, he brings positivity and humor to the team. A strong advocate for the forward pass, Josh is a father of two and enjoys sushi, brisket, steak, and bacon in no particular order. He holds a finance degree from the University of South Florida, class of 2008.
As the new league year kicked off on Wednesday afternoon, the Bucs lost an important special teams player when the Vikings announced they had reached an agreement with Tavierre Thomas, who played for Tampa Bay in 2024.
Thomas Contributed to Bucs’ Special Teams Improvement in 2024
The Bucs had struggled with special teams for several years. According to Pro Football Focus, they were ranked 20th or worse in special teams from 2019 to 2023, despite strong performances by kickers Ryan Succop and Chase McLaughlin.
Thomas played a role in addressing this issue, and the team made noticeable progress. Tampa Bay’s special teams finished 19th in PFF grade, marking their best ranking since 2015.
Thomas made a significant impact, earning a 90.5 grade from PFF. He led the team in special teams snaps with 403 and tackles with eight, boasting an impressive 11.1% missed tackle rate. He contributed in five of the six special teams areas, including kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block.
He was particularly strong as a gunner, often being the first player down the field and rarely overextending the play.
Thomas also made minor contributions on defense, as injuries forced the Bucs to dig deeper into their roster. A former slot corner for Cleveland and Houston, he played 46 defensive snaps, split between slot cornerback and safety.
While Thomas’ defensive performance, like many depth players in the secondary, was underwhelming, he struggled with missed tackles and allowed a catch on all five passes thrown his way, totaling 67 yards, including 28 yards after the catch.
He wrapped up the 2024 season with 14 total tackles across 17 games. Over his career, Thomas has accumulated 239 tackles, six tackles for loss, one sack, six passes defensed, two interceptions, six forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
