The Bucs’ revolving door at punter could continue in 2025 with the expected signing of Canadian Football League punter Jake Julien to a reserve/future contract.
Julien played for the Edmonton Elks, who released him on Wednesday so that he could pursue NFL opportunities. The Bucs worked him out on December 10 and he is expected to sign with Tampa Bay next week, according to 3DownNation.
The 6-foot-two, 217-pound punter had 107 punts for 5,773 yards during the Elks’ 2024 season. He led the CFL in gross average (54.0 yards) and net average (40.0 yards). That broke the league’s single-season gross punting record of 50.6 set by future Super Bowl champion Jon Ryan in 2005. Julien also tied for the CFL lead with eight punts downed inside the 10-yard line and recorded 15 single-point “rouges,” including an incredible game-winner in overtime.
The Bucs were one of at least six NFL teams that worked out Julien since the CFL season ended, including the Broncos, Steelers, Jets, Giants, and Vikings. The Edmonton Elks will retain his exclusive CFL rights through February 2026.
Julien was born in Barrie, Ontario, Canada was originally chosen by the Ottawa Redblacks in the fourth round of the 2021 CFL Draft. He played collegiately at Eastern Michigan with Bucs outside linebacker Jose Ramirez. In his five seasons with the Eagles, Julien punted 221 times in 54 games, averaging 44 yards per attempt.
He had 71 punts downed inside in the 20-yard line with 51 punts that were 50 yards or more. Julien was a second-team All-MAC punter as a senior and signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2022 before being released in training camp.
Bucs Went Through 3 Punters In 2024
After drafting punter Jake Camarda in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, the team became disenchanted with him at the end of the 2023 season. Camarda became wildly inconsistent and never found the desired level of consistency this past season.
Camarda lasted four games as Tampa Bay’s punter, averaging 45.3 yards per punt with a 36.5-yard net average. He had five punts downed inside the 20-yard line and no touchbacks. He was released after practice squad punter Trenton Gill took his job. Gill averaged 43.3 yards per punt with a 38.9-yard net average. He had nine punts downed inside the 20-yard line and just one touchback but a rough outing in Dallas in a 26-24 loss to the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football led to his dismissal.
Jack Browning was another practice squad punter who got elevated for three games and then finally signed to the active roster near the end of the season. The rookie averaged 42.5 yards with a 34.6-yard net, so naturally the Bucs are looking for an upgrade in 2025.
Browning did not have a punt downed inside the 20-yard line and had one touchback in the regular season. He punted better in the Wild Card loss to Washington with two punts that averaged 48.5 yards and a 40-yard net. One of his two punts was downed inside the 20
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