On Monday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers waived rookie safety Godwin Igwebuike, who had played in one game since his Week 11 promotion from the practice squad. Igwebuike, who was inactive against San Francisco on Sunday, had spent the first 10 weeks of the 2018 season on Tampa Bay's practice squad.
The Buccaneers did not make a corresponding roster move and thus have one spot to fill on their 53-man roster before beginning practice on Wednesday.
Igwebuike appeared in the Buccaneers' game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on Nov. 18, logging 12 snaps on special teams and contributing one kick coverage tackle. During the preseason, he played in three games with one start and recorded 11 tackles and one pass defensed, plus two more stops on special teams.
Igwebuike originally joined the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent out of Northwestern in May. As a collegian, he started 43 of the 50 games in which he played and racked up 324 tackles, seven interceptions and 31 passes defensed.
Between the promotion of Igwebuike on Nov. 16 and the start of the current week, the Buccaneers signed defensive back Josh Shaw, who arrived with 52 games and 14 starts of NFL experience. Shaw got into Sunday's win over San Francisco for a handful of snaps at the end of the game and also made a stop on special teams. The waiver of Igwebuike may also mean that starting safety Justin Evans is close to returning after missing two games with a toe injury.
