The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ hopes of returning to the playoffs next season took a slight blow over the weekend.
The Buccaneers’ website reported on Wednesday that kicker Connor Barth would miss the entire 2013 NFL season after tearing his Achilles tendon over the weekend.
Barth, the franchise’s all-time most accurate placekicker, tore his right Achilles on Friday while playing in a charity basketball game with other NFL players. He has already undergone surgery to repair the tear, but he will be placed on the non-football injury (NFI) list and miss this season.
The Bucs signed veteran kicker Lawrence Tynes on Wednesday, agreeing to a one-year deal at the veteran’s minimum salary, to help compensate for Barth’s absence. Tynes has been a reliable kicker for the Giants over the past four seasons, winning two Super Bowls and making the second-most field goals in the NFL with 33 in 2012.
Tynes has made 81 percent of his career field goals with a career long of 53 yards over nine NFL seasons, although he concedes a bit of accuracy and power to Barth, who has hit on 84 percent of his field goals and holds a career long of 57 yards.
Barth signed a four-year, $13.2 million extension with the Bucs before the 2012 season after finishing his career-best season in 2011, making 26 of 28 field goal attempts. Barth repaid the vote of confidence by hitting 85 percent of his attempts in 2012 and setting a new career-long with a  57-yard field goal against the Washington Redskins in Week 4.
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Photo via Facebook/Connor Barth
