Tampa Bay Buccaneers sign David Gettis

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers brought in former Carolina Panthers No. 3 wide receiver David Gettis in for a minicamp tryout last week, and he reportedly looked very good. With that in mind, it isn’t a surprise at all to hear that the Buccaneers have signed Gettis, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. Any Panthers fan reading reports of Gettis turning heads during his tryout with the Bucs wouldn’t be surprised in the least bit, as he was regularly a stud performer during training camp and other offseason workouts while with the Panthers. He was highlighted as a possible breakout candidate before just about every season, but injuries always prevented him from making any significant ground and also forced the Panthers to cut ties with the promising wideout.

Just 26, Gettis still has plenty of upside, but he will have his work cut out for him in an effort to crack the Buccaneers new-look roster. His experience with an NFC South rival won’t help him much, because the real key for Gettis is health. If he can continue to shine this offseason and put in a strong August, then Gettis should be able to make the roster- provided he has that all-important clean bill of health and can keep it that way.

In 2010, Gettis caught 37 passes for 508 yards and three touchdowns for the Panthers, and that season created plenty of buzz surrounding the wideout. Again, he’s never been healthy since his rookie year, so this is very much a flier for Jason Licht and the Buccaneers organization. That said, the Baylor product is an intriguing WR to watch, and he has a great size/speed combination at 6’3″ and with low-4.4s wheels (Auman notes that he was a track star in high school).