The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced 26 roster moves on Saturday, the amount needed to get their active roster down to the regular-season limit of 53 players before the 4:00 p.m. ET deadline.
Those moves included the waiver of kicker Matt Gay, a 2019 fifth-round draft pick who was supplanted by recently-signed veteran Ryan Succop. The Buccaneers also waived running backs Dare Ogunbowale and Ray Calais – the latter a 2020 seventh-round draft pick – in moves likely affected by the expected signing of former Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette. The only vested veteran to be released was ninth-year center A.Q. Shipley, who had just signed with the team on August 27.
The Bucs started the weekend with 79 players after releasing veteran defensive lineman Kyle Love on Thursday. In addition to the cuts noted above, the team also waived its other seventh-round draft pick in 2020, linebacker Chapelle Russell, and trimmed its loaded tight end corps from six down to four by waiving Tanner Hudson and Codey McElroy.
Here are all the moves Tampa Bay to get their roster from 79 down to 53 active spots:
WAIVED:
- G Zack Bailey
- RB Ray Calais
- OLB Kahzin Daniels
- ILB Noah Dawkins
- OLB Michael Divinity
- S D'Cota Dixon
- C Anthony Fabiano
- K Matt Gay
- WR Cyril Grayson
- S Javon Hagan
- TE Tanner Hudson
- DL Jeremiah Ledbetter
- G Nick Leverett
- TE Codey McElroy
- CB Herb Miller
- WR Bryant Mitchell
- RB Dare Ogunbowale
- WR Josh Pearson
- DL Benning Potoa'e
- ILB Chapelle Russell
- WR Spencer Schnell
- C Zach Shackelford
- QB Reid Sinnett
- CB Mazzi Wilkins
View photos of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 53-man roster.
S Andrew Adams
OLB Shaquil Barrett
RB Le'Veon Bell
RB Giovani Bernard
QB Tom Brady
TE Cameron Brate
OLB K.J. Britt
G Alex Cappa
CB Ross Cockrell
WR Jaelon Darden
ILB Lavonte David
CB Carlton Davis III
CB Jamel Dean
CB Dee Delaney
CB Pierre Desir
S Mike Edwards
WR Mike Evans
RB Leonard Fournette
QB Blaine Gabbert
DL William Gholston
OLB Cam Gill
WR Cyril Grayson Jr.
TE Rob Gronkowski
OL Robert Hainsey
TE O.J. Howard
C Ryan Jensen
WR Tyler Johnson
RB Ronald Jones II
G Nick Leverett
G Ali Marpet
DT Steve McLendon
WR Scotty Miller
ILB Kevin Minter
CB Sean Murphy-Bunting
OLB Anthony Nelson
DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches
WR Breshad Perriman
OLB Jason Pierre-Paul
P Bradley Pinion
CB Rashard Robinson
OT Donovan Smith
G Aaron Stinnie
ILB Grant Stuard
K Ryan Succop
DL Ndamukong Suh
QB Kyle Trask
LS Zach Triner
OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka
RB Ke'Shawn Vaughn
DT Vita Vea
WR Justin Watson
OT Josh Wells
ILB Devin White
S Jordan Whitehead
S Antoine Winfield Jr.
T Tristan Wirfs
RELEASED:
- C A.Q. Shipley
PLACED ON RESERVE/PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO PERFORM LIST:
- S Justin Evans
All of the players the Buccaneers waived on Saturday will be subject to the waiver claim system over the next 24 hours. Those who clear, such as Calais, will be prime candidates to return to the Buccaneers' practice squad. This year, each team has 16 available practice squad spots, six more than last year. Though some of those spots could be filled by players from other teams, the Buccaneers' initial practice squad of the season is usually made up largely of players the team cut the day before.
Evans was eligible for the reserve/PUP list because he started training camp on the active/PUP list. He also spent all of the 2019 season on reserve/PUP thanks to a foot injury dating back to the 2018 campaign. A player who starts the season on that list must remain there for at least six weeks, after which the team has up to five weeks to let him return to practice. Once he begins practicing, the team has a 21-day window during which he does not count against the active roster; by the end of that time the team must either activate him or place him back on the reserve list for the rest of the season.
