Buccaneers' Veteran Free Agent WR Signs With NFC South Rival

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR room just got a bit smaller after losing a veteran wideout to an NFC South rival.

There always seems to be a bit of sad news when free agency rolls around each NFL offseason, and this one is no different.

For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there weren't very many surprises early on in free agency as they did a wonderful job at keeping their own talent in Tampa Bay while adding in a few other impactful pieces. However, early into the second week of free agency, they received a departure from a veteran wide receiver when David Moore elected to say goodbye to the beautiful waterways of Tampa Bay by signing a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers.

David Moore making his way back to Carolina pic.twitter.com/SpdsgWSVjk

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) March 19, 2024

The former seventh-round draft pick elected to follow former Buccaneers OC Dave Canales to the Panthers after spending just a single season in Tampa Bay that saw him produce the most since his time with Seattle back in 2020. The move by Moore to head to Carolina makes sense, as he has made his way through the league with Canales from Seattle to Tampa and now Charlotte.

Moore spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Seahawks catching 78 passes for 1,163 yards and 13 touchdowns. Following his stint in Seattle, Moore would go through 2021 and 2022 without hardly seeing an NFL field before arriving in Tampa Bay last offseason.

Ex-Super Bowl Winning Buccaneer On Being Released: 'Tampa Gonna Be Mad They Let Me Go'

Moore provided depth at the wide receiver position for the Buccaneers and even though he didn't have huge numbers throughout the season, he did make two very impactful plays in 2023 that helped the Buccaneers reach the success they did — a 52-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Green Bay Packers and a 44-yard touchdown against the Eagles in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

Losing Moore won't be detrimental to the Buccaneers, but they will at least be testing the market and NFL draft to see if they can bring in someone to help fill the role that is now empty with his departure.

Former Buccaneers Coach Takes Surprising New Coaching Job

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2024 offseason.

Follow BucsGameday on Twitter and Facebook