Even though it had to be a punch in the gut to be waived by the Cleveland Browns a couple of days ago, punter Spencer Lanning can at least take solace in the fact that the first possible team he was available to snatched him up right away.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who hold the top priority in waiver claims, claimed Lanning on Tuesday. At the moment, Lanning will enter a three-way competition in Tampa Bay that involves himself, veteran Michael Koenen, and second-year player Andrew Wilder.
Koenen is coming off of the worst season of his career, with his averages even being far below Lanning's from 2014. Considering that Koenen is set to make $3.25 million this year, it is expected that the Buccaneers will part ways with him at some point, leaving the competition between Lanning and Wilder. The only thing that might save Koenen is the fact that he handles kickoff duties too. Wilder doesn't have any NFL experience, so I wouldn't be surprised if Lanning ends up winning the starting role in Tampa Bay.