For a second straight year, the Tampa Bay Bucs will provide former Pro Bowl wide receiver David Boston an opportunity to resurrect his flagging career.
The Bucs have signed Boston to what is believed to be a one-year contract and will again hope that he can regain the form that once earned him a spot among the NFL's most feared receivers. Financial details were not available, but Boston likely will make the NFL's minimum salary, in his case $730,000, if he makes the roster.
Boston, 28, initially earned a spot on the Tampa Bay roster last summer, then was released one day before the start of the regular season, when injuries forced the Bucs to carve out a spot for an offensive lineman.
The former Ohio State star, a first-round choice of Arizona in the 1999 draft, registered 98 receptions for 1,598 yards and eight touchdowns in 2001, when he was chosen for the Pro Bowl. But in the five seasons since, Boston has totaled only 104 catches.
Boston played four seasons (1999-2002) with the Cardinals, and also posted a 1,000-yard campaign in 2000, then signed with San Diego as an unrestricted free agent in 2003. He had a solid year with the Chargers in '03, but off-field battles with coach Marty Schottenheimer and several instances of insubordination resulted in a trade to Miami in 2004.
In his first training camp with the Dolphins, Boston sustained a ruptured patella tendon and missed the entire season. He appeared in just two games in Miami in two seasons and has not played in a regular-season game since 2005. Boston did have an impressive stint with the Bucs in training camp last summer.
The fact Tampa Bay is willing to take another chance on Boston is not surprising, given that coach Jon Gruden covets older players, and that the Bucs have virtually no financial liability.
Boston has played in 75 games in his career, including 61 starts, and has 315 receptions for 4,699 yards and 25 touchdowns.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.