Deven Thompkins Waived
May 30th, 2024
Gone.
Looks like the kick and punt return gigs are fully wide open.
Bucs return man Deven Thompkins was wavied today in a surprise move as the Bucs listed the superior athletic Thompkins as injured. Joe wrote two months ago that fans should expect Thompkins to be cut before the 2024 season.
Thompkins primarily was a return man but did catch 17 passes last year. His production was meager at best, however, with only 83 receiving yards. He did have a key touchdown catch in the win over the slimy Saints in October.
Thompkins was a favorite of former Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales. So it wouldn’t surprise Joe if the Fort Myers native ended up in the Stinking Panthers training camp.
May 30th, 2024 at 6:52 pm
Not DT 💔💔 What was the injury thought im curious.
May 30th, 2024 at 6:52 pm
Lots of repetition here.
May 30th, 2024 at 6:56 pm
This is probably for the best. Calling him average at what he does is likely high praise. I remember one good game outta him where he made a couple people miss but just too ineffective. He wasn’t gonna get snaps at WR and we need the roster spot elsewhere. This could bode well for a guy like Culp who has a better chance to stick on special teams now. Good luck to Deven.
May 30th, 2024 at 7:21 pm
Got too many targets imo
May 30th, 2024 at 7:24 pm
😔
I hope he can find success elsewhere
May 30th, 2024 at 7:31 pm
Liked Thompkins……worked very hard…..good hands in the return game…..surely we have someone earmarked to replace him…..I believe Bucky will be one of the KRs
May 30th, 2024 at 7:33 pm
Not surprising. They have these 5 who are guaranteed to make it.
Leaves 1 spot, MAYBE
Evans
Godwin
Palmer
McMillan
Jarrett
May 30th, 2024 at 7:59 pm
I’ll miss the kid. Maybe he catches on with Carolina.
May 30th, 2024 at 8:16 pm
We still got Trey Palmer so not a huge loss
It’s a bucs life Super Bowl or bust
May 30th, 2024 at 8:38 pm
Looks like he deleted his IG too
May 30th, 2024 at 8:47 pm
As of 8:46 p.m. his Instagram is still up and has a lot of Bucs-related pictures.
At least it is still flowing for Joe. Not sure what others are seeing.
May 30th, 2024 at 8:50 pm
Wasn’t he the guy that was supposed to be the next AB, in terms of talent? Was that all more GM lies or is this the same guy?
May 30th, 2024 at 9:12 pm
Go get Darden back
May 30th, 2024 at 9:13 pm
I’m thinking they were expecting to see something in mini-camp from him that wasn’t there
May 30th, 2024 at 9:17 pm
Hadn’t heard that one.
May 30th, 2024 at 9:24 pm
I don’t think he ever fumbled a return? He wasn’t afraid to run up the middle, just didn’t have any help in the blocking department. Don’t think cutting him is going to help special teams.
May 30th, 2024 at 9:39 pm
Interesting you say that because the Bucs site with Casey and Scott, they were talking about him running out of bounds too much.
May 30th, 2024 at 9:52 pm
Panthers seems a likely spot…
May 30th, 2024 at 10:03 pm
Was a competent returner, maybe the bucs saw more potential in the new guys they brought in.
May 30th, 2024 at 11:00 pm
Compared to Jalen “never saw a sideline I didn’t like” Darden, this dude was superb. Maybe the new kickoff rules have something to do with this decision? I haven’t looked into the new rules; just waiting for Joe to give the scoop as it pertains to this team and roster and what to look for.
May 30th, 2024 at 11:52 pm
Our receiver room is already solid, no reason to keep a guy whose primary job was returning kicks if he’s not good at returning kicks
May 31st, 2024 at 12:51 am
If he wasn’t going to make the team, then they did him a favor. Now he’s got time to try to get hooked up with somebody else.
May 31st, 2024 at 2:00 am
He wasn’t terrible, but I have to agree with the assessment of him running for the sideline almost every time on the returns. Or if he stayed in bounds he would always look like he dove to the ground when he was about to get hit. Never saw him absorb a hit and try to keep going. We can get better
May 31st, 2024 at 3:25 am
Watching him return kicks was like watching a bunny cross I-4. I was happy for his life when he’d run for the sideline.
May 31st, 2024 at 5:28 am
Good luck to Deven. I am guessing he probably has a landing spot too, Panthers.
May 31st, 2024 at 6:38 am
His ceiling is mediocre.
May 31st, 2024 at 8:17 am
He allegedly beat his ex wife. That may have had something to do with it. He will be a KC chef soon.
May 31st, 2024 at 12:35 pm
Easy come…easy go.
May 31st, 2024 at 3:06 pm
Durability a buck fifty and change is a little undersize for the nfl.
May 31st, 2024 at 4:11 pm
I see the ufl in his future.
May 31st, 2024 at 8:52 pm
Why would they waive him without even going to camp? The guy was a average returner, meaning middle of the pack. Not sure why the benefit of dumping that guy is when you don’t know what you have that is better – because it can get a lot worse.
June 1st, 2024 at 12:03 am
Before it looked like the bus would keep five wide receivers plus Thompson as a return man. Now maybe the bus keep five wide receivers and return man comes from another position such as running back or defensive back and let’s the team keep an extra body at one of those spots.
June 1st, 2024 at 12:05 am
Can Chase Edmunds return kicks? It would be a good way to get him involved in the offense if he can
June 1st, 2024 at 3:02 am
This is a questionable decision cutting a pretty versatile returner….remember Thompkins was also a valuable depth piece at WR and showed flashes when on the field…..
Plus the Bucs are still thin at WR. What happens if Trey Palmer doesnt make a jump and the Washington WR is Kenny Bell 2.0???
Not sure what the injury is but Im guessing its significant, if not the Licht trust his WR draft picks too much
June 1st, 2024 at 4:23 pm
Toad bowels Says:
June 1st, 2024 at 12:05 am
Can Chase Edmunds return kicks?
——–
Maybe he can do that in the 3 games a year he’s healthy.
June 1st, 2024 at 4:26 pm
Tbbucs3 – I was a fan of Thompkins, but even with that, I wouldn’t say he was a valuable depth guy. You didn’t want him on the field on offense if you could help it, not unless he was running gimmick plays because he’s so tiny you can’t trust him at WR since he can easily get knocked off his routes. However, as a dedicated returner who can be a #5 or #6 WR, I think that was a good spot for him.
I just don’t get why they’d cut him now unless something happened off the field we don’t know about.