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Tampa Bay Buccaneers sign kicker Zach Hocker to compete with Nick Folk

By The Sports Xchange
Former New York Jets kicker Nick Folk kicks a 27-yard field goal during the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland on November 24, 2013. File photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI
Former New York Jets kicker Nick Folk kicks a 27-yard field goal during the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland on November 24, 2013. File photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers added a second kicker on Sunday, signing Zach Hocker one day after releasing Roberto Aguayo.

Bucs coach Dirk Koetter said Saturday the team would sign another kicker to share training camp reps with Nick Folk.

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Hocker originally entered the league as a seventh-round selection of the Washington Redskins in the 2014 NFL Draft out of Arkansas. During his career, he spent time with the Redskins, Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints and then-St. Louis Rams.

Hocker has played in eight career games (six with the Saints and two with the Rams), going 10 of 14 (71.4 percent) on field-goal attempts and 12 of 13 on extra-point attempts. He also punted once for 43 yards while with the Saints.

Aguayo, whose 71 percent field-goal percentage was the worst in the NFL as a rookie, likely sealed his fate by missing an extra point and a 47-yard field-goal attempt in Friday night's 23-12 loss at Cincinnati in the preseason opener. Aguayo made a 20-yard field goal on the Bucs' opening possession.

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Aguayo lasted just one season with the Buccaneers after Tampa Bay traded up in the second round of the 2016 draft to select the Florida State product.

Folk, who was brought in during the offseason to compete for the kicking job, made his lone field-goal attempt from 45 yards on Friday night.

The 32-year-old Folk spent the last seven seasons with the New York Jets (2010-16), converted 27 of 31 field goals (87.1 percent) in 2016, tied for sixth-best in the NFL, while making 24 of 26 extra-point attempts.

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