On Friday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers swapped out a spot on their 16-man practice squad, signing eighth-year safety J.T. Gray and releasing guard Karsen Barnhart. It marked the second addition of a defensive back to the practice squad this week after the team inked safety Marcus Banks on Tuesday. Additionally, both Gray and Banks played their college ball at Mississippi State.
An undrafted free agent with the Saints in 2018, Gray has played most of his career in New Orleans but was most recently on the Denver Broncos' active roster for three weeks. He was released by the Broncos with an injury waiver on November 4.
In seven seasons with the Saints, Gray played 98 games and became known as one of the NFL's best special teams players. In 2021, he led the NFL with 16 kick-coverage spots, earning an invitation to the Pro Bowl as a special teamer. He was also a first-team Associated Press All-Pro in that category in 2021 and earned second-team selections in 2019 and 2024. In his career, he has 103 tackles, one tackles or loss, two quarterback hits, one pass defensed, one forced fumble and three fumble recoveries.
Barnhart was signed to the Bucs' practice squad on November 5. He had previously spent time on the practice squads of the Broncos and L.A. Chargers.
