9 Matt Gay K

Gay drilled his only field-goal attempt from 54 yards out and also converted his only extra-point try in the Buccaneers' 37-26 loss to the Panthers on Sunday.

Gay continued to demonstrate his penchant for shrugging off the supposed difficulty of long-distance kicks, blasting a 54-yarder through the uprights in the latter portion of the third quarter. The rookie is a perfect 3-for-3 on attempts of over 50 yards through his first six games and now sports an 84.6 percent success rate (11-for-13) on field goals overall.

Gay made his only field-goal attempt from 42 yards out and also drilled all three of his extra-point tries in the Buccaneers' 31-24 loss to the Saints on Sunday.

Gay put together his second consecutive flawless performance, certainly encouraging after he'd missed a game-winning attempt in Week 3 against the Giants. The rookie continues to benefit from the Buccaneers' solid offense, which is just inconsistent enough to afford him a nice complement of field-goal opportunities alongside his point-after tries. Gay will look to make it three straight perfect efforts when the Buccaneers travel to London to face the division-rival Panthers in Week 6.

Gay converted field-goal attempts of 58 and 21 yards and also made all seven extra-point tries in the Buccaneers' 55-40 win over the Rams on Sunday.

The rookie enjoyed an unblemished day after having missed the game-winning attempt in a Week 3 loss to the Giants. Gay's ability to bounce back from the first game-ending misfire of his career certainly had to be heartening for both the coaching staff and his fantasy managers, as his herculean leg and spot on a team with a clearly improving offense combine to make him a high-upside fantasy asset. He'll look to build on Sunday's fruitful effort on the road against the Saints in Week 5, his first dome game as a professional.

Coach Bruce Arians said Gay will retain his starting kicker job, Abbey Radeka of Florida Football Insiders reports.

Gay's job came into question following this past Sunday's 32-31 loss to the Giants. He was called upon often, converting on field goals from 47, 27, 52 and 23 yards, but he missed two extra points and a 34-yard field-goal that would have won the game. The Buccaneers might not have been in that position if Gay hit those extra points, and the missed would-be game-winning field goal added insult to injury. Arians is sticking by his kicker, however, but another performance like this will surely test his loyalty. Gay will look to rebound against the Rams in Week 4.

Gay connected on field-goal attempts of 47, 27, 52 and 23 yards in the Buccaneers' 32-31 loss to the Giants on Sunday. He missed one extra point and had another blocked while also misfiring wide right on a would-be game-winning 34-yard field-goal try.

Gay ran into trouble in some odd occasions Sunday, and his final hiccup cost the Buccaneers the game. After head coach Bruce Arians purposely taking a delay of game penalty before Gay's final try in order to give the rookie kicker what he felt was a more comfortable attempt, Gay promptly hooked the ball slightly to the right of the right goalpost to send the Giants home one-point winners. The Utah product's performance was a microcosm of his upside and weaknesses, as Gay also showed off his elite leg strength with easy makes on his 47- and 52-yard attempts. However, as once again demonstrated Sunday, he's occasionally had issues with shorter kicks. The 25-year-old remains a strong fantasy asset due to his above-average range and his spot on a team with an improving offense, and he'll look to bounce back against the Rams in a Week 4 road matchup.

Gay connected on field goals of 40 and 32 yards while missing a 42-yard try wide right in the Buccaneers' 20-14 win over the Panthers on Thursday. He also made both of his extra-point attempts.

Gay was largely reliable once again, but the troubles he'd occasionally experienced in training camp and preseason on kicks from the right hash surfaced once more on his third-quarter miss. Nevertheless, the rookie ultimately came through with his successful 32-yard attempt at the 2:26 mark of the fourth quarter, a critical make that extended the Buccaneers' lead to six points. Gay will take a 75.0 percent success rate on field goals and perfect 4-for-4 tally on extra points into a Week 3 battle versus the Giants, a game that could prove to be fertile ground for plenty of fantasy production for the Buccaneers' offense, and by extension, their first-year kicker.

Gay made his only field-goal attempt, a 31-yarder, and also connected on two extra points in the Buccaneers' 31-17 loss to the 49ers on Sunday.

Gay was a bright spot on a fairly dismal afternoon for the Buccaneers, as he demonstrated the same accuracy that won him the starting job over Cairo Santos this preseason. The rookie should be in for plenty of scoring opportunities through the course of the season, as the combination of coach Bruce Arians' aggressive playcalling and Jameis Winston's propensity for sometimes short-circuiting drives with inaccurate passes could lead to an ample bounty of field-goal tries.

Gay officially won the Buccaneers' placekicking job with the release of Cairo Santos on Saturday, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.

There wasn't much suspense surrounding Gay's job security, but any remote chance of the Buccaneers potentially keeping both kickers to open the season was eliminated Saturday. Gay was able to demonstrate the same powerful leg he'd flashed in his college career at Utah during the preseason with a pair of makes of beyond 50 yards and a 5-for-6 tally on field goals overall. The rookie will be set up for success if he can manage to generate a similar caliber of performance in the regular season, as coach Bruce Arians' offense should offer him no shortage of scoring opportunities.

Gay made his only field-goal attempt, a 53-yarder, and also drilled his one extra-point try in the Buccaneers' 17-15 preseason win over the Cowboys on Thursday.

The fact veteran Cairo Santos was passed up for the long field-goal attempt speaks loudly in and of itself, as it seems to send the message coach Bruce Arians perhaps needed just one more long make from Gay to help him finalize his decision on the winner of the job battle. It's very difficult to imagine the Buccaneers leaving Gay's name off the final roster at this point, as he's proven that the long-distance prowess he flashed in college was no fluke this preseason. It may not be official yet, but it appears Arians will entrust the Utah product to help cap off his offense's drives during the coming season.

Gay missed a 37-yard field-goal attempt but drilled a game-winning 21-yard try in the Buccaneers' 13-12 preseason win over the Browns on Friday. He also made his only extra-point attempt.

The rookie got his first taste of in-game adversity at the NFL level when his 37-yard attempt at the end of an 11-play, 59-yard drive in the first quarter bounced off the right upright. However, Gay atoned for the hiccup by converting his short but clutch game-winning attempt with 15 seconds remaining. While veteran Cairo Santos once again was true on his sole attempt (23 yards) Friday, coach Bruce Arians has now afforded Gay both game-ending kicking scenarios this preseason, a telling sign he's giving the rookie every chance to make his case for the job. The heated competition appears headed for a photo finish in Thursday's exhibition finale versus the Cowboys.

Gay drilled field-goal attempts of 32 and 48 yards as well as his lone extra-point attempt in the Buccaneers' 16-14 preseason win over the Dolphins on Friday.

The rookie appears to be well on his way to usurping incumbent Cairo Santos for the placekicking job, with Friday's 48-yard game-winning boot potentially having cemented his case. Gay has been every bit as good as advertised in both practices and through a pair of exhibitions, and while Santos has also been solid, the fact Gay will be cheaper and also cost the Bucs some draft capital could finish tipping the scales in his favor.

Gay made his one field-goal attempt, a 55-yarder, in the Buccaneers' 30-28 preseason loss to the Steelers on Friday.

Gay's one kicking opportunity Friday allowed him to flash the one aspect of his skill set that likely most endeared him to the Buccaneers, namely, his accuracy on long-distance kicks. The rookie has been impressive overall from various distances in training camp, but his ability to nail an attempt of that length in a game situation had to be particularly gratifying. Veteran Cairo Santos has also been solid and made his one kick attempt, an extra-point try, Friday, so the heated competition will carry over into next Friday's exhibition versus the Dolphins.

Gay was 10-for-10 on field goals during his first featured camp practice Saturday, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Smith reports the rookie fifth-round pick absolutely drilled his longest attempt, a 57-yard laser that would have been good from an even greater distance. The pressure, by training camp standards, was on Gay during his first chance in the summer spotlight, as veteran incumbent Cairo Santos had put together an 8-for-9 effort Friday and would go on to post a perfect showing Sunday. The long-distance success is nothing new for Gay, who finished his college career at Utah with an 8-for-11 tally on kicks from 50 yards and beyond. The competition between Santos and Gay looks primed to go down to the wire this coming preseason if the caliber of their respective early performances sustains.

Gay made a strong impression during OTAs and minicamp with his leg strength, Carmen Vital of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

The rookie fifth-round pick will battle incumbent Cairo Santos for the starting placekicking job, and if the offseason is any indication, training camp and the preseason should include a spirited competition. Vitali notes that Gay has impressed with a combination of leg strength and accuracy, which is unsurprising given his unblemished college track record on extra points, an 86.2 percent success rate on field goals in two seasons at Utah, and his 8-for-11 tally on kicks of 50-plus yards during that stretch. If Gay ultimately prevails over Santos, what projects to be a high-octane offense could provide the former with plenty of scoring opportunities in the fall.

The Buccaneers selected Gay in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 145th overall.

Roberto Aguayo jokes aside, Gay does make sense for the Buccaneers even as a fifth-round selection. The Utah product has a strong leg and should be able to beat out Cairo Santos and Phillip Andersen for the job in 2019.