Tampa Bay Buccaneers host Tony Moeaki
Tony Moeaki (81) runs the ball as Carolina Panthers middle linebacker Luke Kuechly (59) attempts the defense in the second half of the game against the Carolina Panthers at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City won 27-21. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost No. 2 tight end Tom Crabtree for the season this past week, so they are on a quest to add another tight end to the roster. According to the National Football Post’s Aaron Wilson, the Buccaneers hosted former Kansas City Chiefs starting tight end Tony Moeaki, who was released by the Chiefs on an injury settlement in late October.
Moeaki is a talented tight end who is athletic, and he is a versatile “move” TE who can line up as a traditional TE, play in the slot, or even split out wide. But despite his talent and a 2010 season in which he had 556 receiving yards, Moeaki hasn’t been a desirable commodity on the free agent market. In fact, the market for Moeaki has been frigid to say the least, and that’s because he is one of the most injury prone tight ends in the NFL today.
It’s been rough seeing a guy with Moeaki’s talent consistently injured, so hopefully he can catch a break, sign with the Buccaneers, and be productive there. For the Bucs, it’s worth taking a flier on Moeaki at this point in the season, though the real key is Moeaki’s health going forward (like, next year). He would be a solid TE No. 2 behind breakout player Tim Wright in the interim, and it would be interesting to see if he could ever stick with the Bucs beyond this year, though Crabtree is likely locked in.