Bucs Swap Specialists In Latest Roster Move

The Bucs announced a roster move relating to special teams on Monday afternoon, signing kicker B.T. Potter. In a corresponding move, Tampa Bay waived punter Aidan Laros.

New Bucs K B.T. Potter Has Familiarity With ST Coordinator Danny Smith

By bringing in B.T. Potter, the Bucs have added some depth at the kicker position. Entering 2026, there is no competition for who the starting kicker will be, with Chase McLaughlin one of the league’s best and most accurate knocking it between the uprights. Heading closer to summer, it does not hurt adding another leg to give McLaughlin a breather.

Potter, a former kicker for Clemson, spent the 2023 preseason with the Steelers. It is not a coincidence he landed in Tampa Bay, given the presence of special teams coordinator Danny Smith, who was in Pittsburgh during that time.

Bucs K BT Potter – Photo by: Reuters Connect

His time with the Tigers was plenty productive, as he played there for five seasons from 2018-2022. He went 73-of-97 on his field goal attempts (75.3%) and 234-of-235 on his extra-point attempts (99.6%) for a total of 453 points. A two-time second-team All-ACC selection, Potter was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist in 2022 after going 20-of-26 on field goals and 49-of-49 on extra points.

Over his final two seasons, he made 41 field goals and was a perfect 87-of-87 on PATs, while handling kickoff duties for a Clemson team that won the ACC Championship in 2022. Potter was a former walk-on who developed into one of the most productive kickers in school history. He finished his Clemson career as the program’s all-time leader in made field goals (73), made PATs (234), points by a kicker (453), and consecutive PATs made (122). He was the first player in ACC history to record four different seasons with at least 100 points scored.

After a brief stint in Pittsburgh, Potter’s only other professional football stop was with the UFL’s Michigan Panthers in 2025. Should he get off on the right foot and use it to have a productive training camp and preseason, he is a candidate to make the practice squad. To make room on the roster, the Bucs let go of punter Aidan Laros. Signed as an undrafted free agent from Kentucky, Laros was the only other punter on the 90-man roster outside of veteran Riley Dixon. For now, the team will roll with Dixon but could add another punter as competition.

— Information from Buccaneers Communications was used in this story.