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Bucs Agree To Terms With TE Troupe |
 Ben Troupe is the second tight end the Bucs have signed this offseason (Getty Images) |
On the same day that former Bucs TE Anthony Becht signed with St. Louis, Tampa Bay added ex-Tennessee TE Ben Troupe, who visited One Buc Place last weekend. The Bucs wanted a receiving TE like Troupe, who will sign a multi-year deal to complement the signing of TE John Gilmore, whose strength is blocking.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost a tight end on Thursday when free agent Anthony Becht signed with the St. Louis Rams.
That news likely became an easier pill to swallow on Thursday evening when the Buccaneers agreed to terms on a multi-year contract with Tennessee Titans free agent TE Ben Troupe.
A second-round draft pick out of the University of Florida in 2004, Troupe visited the Buccaneers on Mar. 1. According to his agent, Joel Segal, the deciding factors in Troupe's decision to sign with Tampa Bay were the fact that he played attended college in Gainesville and wanted to play for a winning organization and head coach Jon Gruden.
The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Troupe has played in 55 career games with the Titans, catching 106 passes for 1,056 yards and seven touchdowns.
Troupe's best season came in 2005 when he recorded season highs in catches (55), yards (530) and touchdowns (four). His production fell of dramatically over the last two years as he caught just 13 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns in 2006 and five passes for 47 yards and zero touchdowns in 2007.
Troupe fractured his right ankle in November of 2006 and he was placed on injured reserve. He was beat out for the starting job last year by Bo Scaife, who played collegiately at Texas with Tennessee quarterback Vince Young.
Tampa Bay has a talented trio of tight ends in Troupe, who joins Alex Smith, a 2005 third-round draft pick, and recently signed free agent John Gilmore, who is regarded more as a blocking tight end. Tampa Bay also has reserve tight ends on its roster in Keith Heinrich and Daniel Fells.
Bucs TE Jerramy Stevens still is on the free agent market and it's unclear how the addition of Troupe will impact Tampa Bay's interest in re-signing Stevens.
MORE FREE AGENCY VISITS
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Comments
cremdon
9:49pm, March 6, 2008
kennys
10:31pm, March 6, 2008
Horse
Good job.
Go Bucs
11:08pm, March 6, 2008
kysteve9
GO BUCS!!!!!!!!!!!!
8:45am, March 7, 2008
mostlarge
Solid move..
8:50am, March 7, 2008
BucsRunSht
9:48am, March 7, 2008
cremdon
10:52am, March 7, 2008
cremdon
11:23am, March 7, 2008
Horse
I am no longer living in the Tampa Bay area so I did not see that much of Williams.
I think he is a fine second round pick, not a first round. Lets keep our emotion's in check. If we can't find a higher rated DL, or CB at the 20th pick, then this is okay by me.
Local favorites don't always pan out if they are a reach. Who has he really gone against?
Go Bucs
7:15pm, March 7, 2008
Horse
7:17pm, March 7, 2008
Leave a Comment
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