Apparently kickers are a hot commodity.
Less than 48 hours after being released by the Bills on Monday, kicker Rian Lindell has found a new team. The 36-year-old has agreed to terms with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team announced on Wednesday.
Lindell, who had been the Bills kicker for the past 10 seasons, was cut in favor of rookie Dustin Hopkins.
"It’s always tough when you have to release a player like Rian Lindell," Bills coach Doug Marrone said on Monday. "Obviously I know about those things, I was released six times myself; I understand what the players go through. I understand what it’s like in that meeting. I want to make sure that I’m giving that player a lot of respect when those times come and Rian is one of the top professionals that I’ve been around."
Lindell connected on 87.5 percent (21 of 24) of his kicks last season, making it his most accurate year since 2007. Lindell leaves Buffalo having scored 980 points in a Bills uniform, a number that trails Steve Christie's franchise-record 1,011 points by 31.
The 14-year veteran will join a messy kicking situation in Tampa Bay. The Bucs were happy with kicker Connor Barth, but Barth's 2013 season ended before it started when he ruptured his Achilles in July.
Tampa then added former Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes to take Barth's place, but Tynes has been dealing with a toe injury that, according to FoxSports.com, could land him on injured reserve.
If Tynes goes to the IR, Lindell will battle with Derek Dimke. Dimke, an undrafted free agent who went through training camp with the Lions in 2012, is a perfect 5 of 5 on field goal attempts going into Tampa Bay's third preseason game on Saturday at Miami.
If Lindell does make the roster, he'll get a crack at his old team in Week 14 when the Bucs host Buffalo.
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