VIDEO: Cole Beasley Starts Buccaneers Tenure Off on the Wrong Foot

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been ravaged by injuries at the wide receiver position and recently dipped into the free agent pool to find some help. Cole Beasley was signed to provide some depth in the slot, but his tenure with the Bucs started off on the wrong foot during Wednesday's practice.

Cole Beasley Buccaneers

Beasley was back to handle a punt return when the football fell right through his hands and shot off his knee toward the incoming defenders. He was able to pick it up before anyone else came close, but then his helmet flew off following a hit by a teammate. The sequence was chaotic to say the least.

It was an interesting moment considering Beasley never acted as a punt returner in his three seasons with the Buffalo Bills from 2019-2021. The last time he took on that role was with the Dallas Cowboys in 2018. In his 10-year career, Beasley has logged 220 yards on 38 punt returns (5.8-yard average).

Of course, Beasley was not signed to return punts. He was signed to provide dependability for quarterback Tom Brady. The Buccaneers could be without all three of their top WRs on Sunday. Julio Jones and Chris Godwin continue to work their way back from injury, while Mike Evans is suspended.

Beasley has tallied 5,709 receiving yards and 34 touchdowns on 550 catches in 149 career games played (50 starts). In 2021, he tied a career-high mark with 82 receptions (112 targets) and posted 693 yards and 1 touchdown. Everyone has seen what Brady can do with a reliable slot weapon before.

The Buccaneers have odds set at +700 to win Super Bowl 57, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.