The Tampa Bay Buccaneers today elevated safety Ifeatu Melifonwu (ee-FAH-too, mel-eh-FAWN-woo) from the practice squad to the active roster for the team's Week 2 game against the Cleveland Browns. It marks his second elevation of the season.
Melifonwu (6-3, 210) was elevated in Week 1, appearing exclusively on special teams. He has played in 54 career games, making 22 starts, across six professional seasons between the Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins and Buccaneers. In his career, Melifonwu has logged 120 tackles (seven for loss), 14 passes defensed, eight quarterback hits, 5.5 sacks, three interceptions, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. He appeared in 16 games with eight starts for Miami in 2025, producing a career-high 53 tackles while adding 1.0 sack, one interception and one pass defensed. He originally entered the league as a third-round selection (No. 101 overall) by the Lions in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Syracuse University (2017-20), where he appeared in 29 career games, with 19 starts, and tallied 88 tackles, 26 passes defensed, three interceptions and 1.0 sack. The South Grafton, Massachusetts, native wears No. 5 for Tampa Bay.
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