A Falcons receiver who haunted Tampa Bay now joins the Buccaneers, bringing speed and a history of clutch plays to the NFC South squad.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced Tuesday the signing of receiver David Sills V to a one-year contract.
Sills joins the Bucs after playing in 12 games last season for the Atlanta Falcons. The had 18 catches for 191 yards and two touchdowns after being called up win week 2, bringing a bit of a haunting memory to Tampa Bay with him.
The West Virginia product was the recipient of the notorious first-down conversion call on fourth-and-14 against the Bucs late last season. The aftermath went viral as longtime Bucs receiver Mike Evans engaged in a sideline rant that carried on into the postgame tunnel.
Sills had his best game of the season during this Thursday night matchup, catching six passes for 78 yards and helping the Falcons scratch out a victory.
The one-point loss highlighted the Bucs' late-season collapse and failure to reclaim the NFC South title.
After going undrafted in 2019, Sills bounced around, playing in the Buffalo Bills' and New York Giants' practice squads before earning a call-up to the Giants' roster in 2020.
Sills never appeared in game action after he suffered a foot fracture in the preseason and was placed on injured reserve.
In 2021 and 2022, Sills appeared in 13 games for the Giants, recording 13 receptions for 123 yards. Following 2022, he appeared in just one regular-season game until last season, when he signed a reserve/futures contract with the Falcons.
Sills joins his former offensive coordinator Zac Robinson in Tampa, though it's unclear at this point what role Sills will fill for the Bucs, whether as part of the receiving rotation or on the expanded offseason practice roster.
Tampa has been active this week, bringing in players with familiarity to the coaching staff, both old and new. Earlier this week, the Bucs reunited with Rakeem Nunez-Roches, who played for the team 2018-2023 and helped the Bucs win Super Bowl LV in 2021.
Bringing in players with prior experience and knowledge of the staff and concepts could bode well for a Bucs team looking to reclaim the NFC South despite losing two of the best players in franchise history, Lavonte David and Evans.
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