Getty Cody Thompson celebrates a fumble recovery with the Seahawks.
Just about a week after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers released wide receiver Devin Thompkins, the team signed former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cody Thompson on June 5.
Equity Sports, which represents Thompson, announced the signing via social media. Thompson has bounced around NFL practice squads since 2019, and he once played under former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales with the Seahawks.
An undrafted free agent in 2019, Thompson first signed with the Kansas City Chiefs where he spent time on the practice squad followed by stints with the Cincinnati Bengals and Seahawks that year. He then spent most of his career with the Seahawks between 2020 and 2023, which included 12 regular season game appearances. Thompson played special teams in those games as he tallied a fumble recovery and three tackles.
Cody Thompson Could Catch on Through Special Teams Though No Guarantee
Congratulations to @cthom1441 signing with the @Buccaneers! 🔥
Playing special teams bodes well for Thompson as he seeks to crack the Buccaneers roster. In 2022, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles cut the most statistically productive receiver in the preseason, Tyler Johnson, because the former Minnesota star didn’t play special teams.
That doesn’t make Thompson’s path to the roster favorable, however. The Buccaneers just released a receiver in Thompkins on May 30, and he returned kicks and punts in addition to catching passes during the past two years.
“We’ve got a lot of competition come training camp,” Bowles told reporters on June 4 about the upcoming receiver competition. “We’ve got some guys that [are] going to surprise some people. I’m looking forward to seeing them in pads. We’re excited to see where it goes.”
As a receiver, Thompson had a successful career in college at Toledo. He tallied 181 catches for 3,312 yards and 11 touchdowns with the Rockets between 2016 and 2018. Thompson has one career reception in the NFL, which came last season amid his seven games played.
Cody Thompson Faces Steep Competition With Buccaneers
The first four receiver spots on the Buccaneers roster looks largely set with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan, and Trey Palmer. Evans has 10-straight 1,000-yard seasons, and Godwin has three-straight 1,000-yard campaigns. Palmer showed promise as a rookie amid three touchdowns, and the Buccaneers liked McMillan enough to take him in the third round of the draft this year.
“Jalen’s got such a natural feel as a receiver. He’s extremely smooth, one of those guys that doesn’t look like he’s covering a lot of ground because it looks effortless, but he really is,” Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield told reporters on June 4. “He’s a guy that can run every route that you have in your route tree. [He has] really strong hands at the point of attack – he always attacks the ball when it’s in the air, which is great to see for a young guy, just to have that natural tendency.”
Rakim Jarrett impressed enough as a rookie to earn regular season snaps, and Ryan Miller, Cephus Johnson III, and Raleigh Webb competed on the practice squad last season. The Buccaneers also signed undrafted free agents in Kameron Johnson, Latreal Jones, and Tanner Knue this offseason.