The Tampa Bay Buccaneers waived third-year running back Mike James on Tuesday, creating an opening on the 53-man roster that wasn't immediately filled. The team also turned over one spot on its 10-man practice squad, releasing cornerback Imoan Claiborne and re-signing defensive tackle Derrick Lott.
The Buccaneers drafted James out of the University of Miami in the sixth round in 2013. Though he was a game-day inactive for the first three weeks of the current season, James saw action in 19 games with three starts in the previous two campaigns. He has carried the ball 79 times for 332 yards and caught 11 passes for another 38 yards.
James briefly took over the team's starting tailback job in 2013 when Doug Martin was sidelined by a shoulder injury. In his second career start he rushed 28 times for 158 yards in the Buccaneers' overtime loss at Seattle on November 3.
Claiborne was one of the first 10 players signed to this year's practice squad after the roster was cut down to 53 players in early September. He went to camp with the St. Louis Rams after being signed as an undrafted rookie out of Northwestern State.
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Lott returns after spending the second week of the season on the Buccaneers' practice squad. He was signed on September 16 and subsequently released on September 22. He was also an undrafted rookie this past spring, signing with the Tennessee Titans out of Tennessee-Chattanooga.
The Buccaneers return to the practice field on Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. and are likely to fill that 53rd roster spot before doing so.
