Buccaneers add Clemson kicker B.T. Potter, waiving punter Aidan Laros

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed kicker B.T. Potter on Monday, according to the team’s announcement, and waived punter Aidan Laros in the corresponding roster move. The timing places Potter immediately into the Buccaneers’ offseason competition picture, where special teams coaches typically begin narrowing kicking roles early because games often turn on a handful of field-goal and extra-point possessions.

Potter arrives from Clemson, where he played from 2018 through 2022 and appeared in 59 career games. Over that span, he converted 73-of-97 field goals (75.3%) and 234-of-235 extra points (99.6%), totaling 453 kicking points. The Buccaneers emphasized his production across both high-leverage scoring categories, especially his near-perfect PAT rate, which can matter in tight games when efficiency is at a premium.

His finish at Clemson offered additional context for why Tampa Bay might view him as a low-variance option. In his final two seasons, Potter made 41 field goals and went 97-of-97 on extra points. He also closed his college career as the program’s all-time leader in made field goals (73), made PATs (234), points by a kicker (453), and consecutive extra points made (122). The Buccaneers also noted that he earned two-time second-team All-ACC honors and was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist in 2022 after going 20-of-26 on field goals and 49-of-49 on extra points that season.

From an NFL standpoint, a signing like this is often less about one specific outcome and more about stabilizing the kicking unit’s baseline performance. Even when a team has a strong offense, kicking outcomes are still heavily influenced by snap and holder execution, weather and field conditions, and the timing of pressure on the protection unit. Potter’s college profile, as presented by Tampa Bay, suggests the kind of reliability coaches look for when they want consistent points without asking for perfect circumstances every week.

The roster decision to waive a punter alongside the kicker addition also underscores the way offseason roster management works in the NFL. Teams typically carry multiple specialists and then adjust based on how training camp competitions, practice reps, and roster needs develop. Tampa Bay’s announcement framed the move as a straight exchange: bringing in Potter as the kicker, while Laros departed from the organization to make room.

Going forward, the primary question is how quickly Potter can translate his Clemson accuracy into Tampa Bay’s special teams system. Fans will look for his consistency during offseason workouts and team sessions, particularly on extra points and inside-the-limits field goals, where small timing issues and procedural details can show up first. If Potter performs as his college résumé suggests, this move could help the Buccaneers start camp with a clear, competition-ready kicking option and fewer distractions as the team builds toward the regular season.