Thompkins re-signed with the Buccaneers on a one-year deal Tuesday.
Thompkins joined the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent out of Utah and initially started the season on the team's practice squad. However, the 24-year-old wideout was signed to the active roster before Week 1 and played all 17 regular-season games plus both of Tampa Bay's postseason contests, splitting his time between offense and special teams.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: Multiple roles in wild-card win
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Thompkins secured his only target for four yards, rushed once for 10 yards, returned one kickoff for 27 yards and ran back two punts for 24 yards in the Buccaneers' 32-9 wild-card win over the Eagles on Monday night.
Thompkins was active in the return game as usual, but he also was able to enjoy some sporadic offensive participation. The second-year speedster did record a career-high 17 receptions in the regular season, but his primary value is almost certainly going to come as a returner in Sunday's divisional-round road matchup versus the Lions.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: One reception in Week 18 win
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Thompkins brought in his only target for one yard in the Buccaneers' 9-0 win over the Panthers on Sunday.
Thompkins didn't see any return opportunities for a change, but he was able to record a catch for the second straight game to close out the regular season. The second-year speedster wrapped up the 2023 campaign with new career highs in receptions (17), receiving yards (83) and targets (25) while also scoring his first NFL touchdown. However, Thompkins' primary value heading into the postseason is on special teams, as he finished the regular season with 561 total return yards.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: One touch from scrimmage in win
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Thompkins rushed once for minus-one yard and returned one punt for 13 yards in the Buccaneers' 34-20 win over the Packers on Sunday.
Thompkins failed to draw a target for the second straight game and went without a catch for the fourth time in the last five contests overall. The Utah State product did see his snaps from scrimmage climb back into double digits (11), but with Trey Palmer and David Moore clearly ahead of him in the pecking order, there's no realistic path for Thompkins to make any meaningful offensive contributions for the time being.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: Limited to returns in win
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Thompkins did not draw a target but returned one kickoff for 29 yards and two punts for 26 yards in the Buccaneers' 29-25 win over the Falcons on Sunday.
Thompkins failed to draw so much as one look in the passing attack for the second time in three games, and he went without a catch for the third time in the last four. He did continue to put together a strong body of work as a punt returner, however, pushing his average in that capacity to 9.2 yards on 21 opportunities. Heading into a Week 15 road battle versus the Packers, Thompkins' fantasy value continues to be limited to very deep leagues that also count return yardage.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: Gets back on stat sheet in win
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Thompkins rushed once for five yards and brought in one of two targets for five yards in the Buccaneers' 20-6 win over the Titans on Sunday. He also returned two punts for 15 yards.
Thompkins was able to record an offensive stat for the first time since Week 7, even as he logged only two touches from scrimmage. His 15 snaps once again outpaced fellow reserve receiver Rakim Jarrett by just one, but Thompkins was the only one of the two to record any offensive stats. Despite the cameo appearance from scrimmage Sunday, Thompkins' fantasy value remains virtually non-existent as long as the Buccaneers' receiving corps is at full health.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: Limited to return duties again
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Thompkins was not targeted over nine snaps but returned three kickoffs for 54 yards and ran back three punts for 22 yards in the Buccaneers' 39-37 loss to the Texans on Sunday.
Thompkins was once again way behind No. 3 wideout Trey Palmer (48 snaps) in terms of playing time and logged just one more snap than fellow reserve Rakim Jarrett, although the latter joined Thompkins in going without a target. The diminutive Thompkins does have 13 receptions on the campaign, but he's now gone without a target in back-to-back games and only carries fantasy value in deep formats that count return yards.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: Three grabs in Week 7 loss
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Thompkins brought in all three targets for 14 yards, returned two kickoffs for 50 yards and ran back one punt for three yards in the Buccaneers' 16-13 loss to the Falcons on Sunday.
Thompkins' involvement in the offense ticked back up slightly after he'd posted just two receptions for minus-2 yards Week 6, and he also continued to offer solid production as a kick returner. He logged two more plays from scrimmage (19) than fellow complementary receiver Rakim Jarrett (17), and the former has been the more consistent of the two by far through the first six games.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: Minimal role on offense in loss
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Thompkins brought two of four targets for minus-2 yards, rushed once for five yards and ran back three kickoffs for 55 yards in the Buccaneers' 20-6 loss to the Lions on Sunday.
Thompkins' statistical and playing time downturn was a big disappointment after he'd generated a 4-45-1 line and rushed once for 11 yards across 42 snaps against the Saints in Week 4. It would have been logical to assume the speedy second-year wideout could have enjoyed an even bigger role coming out of the Week 5 bye, but Thompkins' 14 snaps Sunday were significantly behind fellow complementary receiver Trey Palmer's 37. It's difficult to ascertain whether Thompkins' sparse usage Sunday was merely an outlier, but he'll presumably have a good chance for at least a slight uptick in work during a Week 7 home divisional clash against the Falcons.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: Thrives with extra opportunity
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Thompkins secured all four of his targets for 45 yards and a touchdown, rushed once for 11 yards and returned one punt for seven yards in the Buccaneers' 26-9 win over the Saints on Sunday.
The speedy second-year wideout made good on some extra attention from Baker Mayfield that was brought about by Mike Evans' early exit due to a hamstring injury. Thompkins recorded his first NFL touchdown on a five-yard grab with 3:44 remaining, which gave the Bucs some valuable breathing room. He has already exceeded his modest rookie-season totals of five receptions and 32 yards through just four games in 2023, and if Evans is still sidelined following Tampa Bay's Week 5 bye, Thompkins should be in line for extended opportunity Oct. 15 against Detroit.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: Two catches in loss
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Thompkins brought in two of four targets for six yards in the Buccaneers' 25-11 loss to the Eagles on Monday night.
Across 10 snaps, Thompkins notably garnered more of Baker Mayfield's attention than did fellow complementary wideout Trey Palmer in 34 plays from scrimmage. The second-year speedster's playing time was his lowest of the first three games, and his production and snaps are likely to both remain volatile unless multiple injuries strike in front of him on the receiving corps.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: No targets despite solid snap count
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Thompkins rushed once for 11 yards and didn't log any targets in the Buccaneers' 27-17 win over the Bears on Sunday. He also committed a fumble recovered by Tampa Bay and returned two punts for seven yards.
Thompkins' lack of targets was disappointing considering he logged 32 snaps from scrimmage, yet that level of involvement is encouraging in its own right. The second-year speedster has been within a handful of snaps of No. 3 receiver Trey Palmer in both of the first two contests, but his game-to-game production will naturally be difficult to trust unless injuries strike Mike Evans or Chris Godwin.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: Sees action on offense in win
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Thompkins brought in two of three targets for 10 yards, returned one kickoff for 23 yards and ran back four punts for 29 yards in the Buccaneers' 20-17 win over the Vikings on Sunday.
Thompkins operated as the No. 4 receiver, with his 18 snaps from scrimmage sitting just behind No. 3 wideout Trey Palmer's 23. Thompkins encouragingly saw some work on offense right out of the gate after recording five catches across five games in 2022, and the 23-year-old also filled both returner roles as expected. The Utah State product could have occasional opportunities for chunk plays given his speed, especially on a wideout depth chart that's thin on proven options behind the top duo of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: Tallies 33 all-purpose yards in win
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Thompkins secured two of three targets for 13 yards, returned one kickoff for 16 yards and ran back two punts for four yards in the Buccaneers' 13-6 preseason win over the Jets on Saturday night.
Thompkins had a solid night overall while logging 20 snaps from scrimmage. The Utah State product is in a battle with several other young wideouts for a spot on the latter portion of the Buccaneers' depth chart, and he was outperformed by one of them, Rakim Jarrett, in Saturday's contest. Nevertheless, Thompkins' ability to also contribute as a returner ups his odds, and he should have another solid opportunity to make his case in Saturday night's home preseason finale versus the Ravens.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: Making push with impressive camp
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Thompkins, who's looking to secure a spot as a reserve receiver in addition to a potential returner role, has been making spectacular catches in nearly every training camp practice, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
The diminutive Utah State product already clawed his way onto the active roster last season, going from training camp standout to the practice squad before getting into the last five regular-season games and the wild-card loss to the Cowboys. Most of Thompkins' touches came on special teams -- he posted 324 total return yards -- but he also logged 70 regular-season snaps from scrimmage and compiled a 5-32-0 line on 10 targets while also rushing twice for 26 yards. He's naturally still looking up at the top trio of Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Russell Gage on the wide receiver depth chart, but with veterans Julio Jones and Breshad Perriman off the roster, Thompkins appears to have a legitimate chance at earning the No. 5 receiver spot, at minimum, if his preseason play matches his training camp performances.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: Limited to return duty in loss
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Thompkins returned three kickoffs for 58 yards, ran back three punts for 34 yards and committed a fumble recovered by Tampa Bay in the Buccaneers' 31-14 wild-card loss to the Cowboys on Monday night. He finished the regular season with five receptions (10 targets) for 32 yards, two rushes for 26 yards, 263 kick-return yards and 61 punt-return yards across five games.
The undrafted rookie didn't garner active status until Week 14 against the 49ers, and he had his busiest day by far in the Week 18 regular-season finale versus the Falcons when he brought in four of nine targets for 25 yards, rushed once for 17 yards and generated 36 total return yards. Thompkins was notably kept in the organizational ranks over 2021 fourth-round pick Jaelon Darden, who was released after the Week 13 win over the Saints, and he could therefore have a legitimate chance to compete for a spot on the latter portion of the wide receiver depth chart in training camp with Julio Jones, Scotty Miller and Breshad Perriman all unlikely to return.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: Signed to active roster
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Tampa Bay signed Thompkins to the active roster off its practice squad Friday, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.
Thompkins is out of practice squad elevations, so Tampa Bay has officially signed him to the 53-man roster. The undrafted wideout has been operating as the team's primary punt and kick returner, but he also finished with 16 scrimmage yards in Week 15 while playing 13 offensive snaps, which was third most among Tampa Bay's wideouts.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: Elevated to active roster again
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Tampa Bay elevated Thompkins from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday for Sunday's matchup against the Bengals, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.
Thompkins was elevated for Week 14 and made his NFL debut. The undrafted product out of Utah State didn't see any playing time on offense but operated as the team's primary punt and kick returner, totaling two punt returns for 21 yards and five kick returns for 123 yards across nine special teams snaps. He figures to garner a similar role in Week 15.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: Will suit up vs. Atlanta
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Tampa Bay activated Thompkins from its practice squad Saturday ahead of Sunday's game versus the Falcons.
With both Julio Jones (knee) and Russell Gage (knee) listed as questionable for Week 5 versus Atlanta, the Buccaneers decided it's possibly time for Thompkins to suit up for his first NFL game. The undrafted rookie out of Utah State probably won't see much work Sunday, barring another injury.
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Deven Thompkins: Lands on practice squad
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The Buccaneers signed Thompkins to the practice squad Wednesday, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.
Thompkins rejoined Tampa Bay via the practice squad one day after failing to make the team's initial 53-man roster. The undrafted rookie out of Utah State will now work to continue his development while operating in an emergency depth role.
