Sean Murphy-Bunting is returning to where his NFL career began, and where he earned a Super Bowl ring.
On Wednesday, the Buccaneers announced the signing of Murphy-Bunting to their practice squad, filling the last opening on that 17-man unit. The veteran cornerback most recently with the Arizona Cardinals and was released on Sunday during the league-wide roster cutdowns to 53 per team. The Buccaneers also made a pair of moves involving previously-filled practice squad spots, signing tight end CJ Dippre and safety Silas Walters. Tight end Devin Culp and safety Rashad Wisdom were released to make room for those additions.
The Buccaneers drafted Murphy-Bunting out of Central Michigan in the second round in 2019, making him the 39th player chosen overall. He quickly carved out a prominent role on defense, starting 10 games and leading the team with three interceptions as a rookie. In 2020, he started 13 regular season games and four postseason contests, in the process becoming the first Buccaneer ever to intercept a pass in three straight playoff games. The Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-9, in Super Bowl LV.
Murphy-Bunting (6-0, 195) played four seasons for the Buccaneers before signing with the Tennessee Titans as an unrestricted free agent in 2023. After just one season and 14 starts with the Titans he signed with the Arizona Cardinals in 2024 and started all 15 games in which he played, matching his career high with three interceptions. However, he suffered a torn ACL on the practice field in May of last year and spent the 2025 season on injured reserve.
In all, Murphy-Bunting has played in 82 games with 65 starts and has recorded 297 tackles, 11interceptions and 34 passes defensed. He also has 29 tackles, three interceptions and five passes defensed in six postseason outings.
The Buccaneers have devoted a significant portion of the first edition of their practice squad to the secondary, as Murphy-Bunting and Walters are two of five defensive backs now on that 17-man unit. This comes after the team trimmed its combined cornerback/safety depth to just eight players in Sunday's roster cutdown.
Dippre (6-5, 256) went to training camp with the New England Patriots this summer but was waived during the league-wide roster cutdowns on Sunday. He played in three preseason games for New England with two starts and caught two passes for 21 yards. Dippre signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent out of Alabama last year and split his rookie campaign between the practice squad and active roster, appearing in two games. In 52 collegiate games at Alabama and Maryland he caught 65 passes for 782 yards and three touchdowns.
Walters (5-11, 205), an undrafted rookie out of Miami (OH), signed with the Baltimore Ravens in May but was waived this past Sunday. He played in all three of the Ravens' preseason games and contributed nine tackles and an interception, plus two more stops on special teams. At Miami, he saw action in 40 games and amassed 200 tackles, three interceptions, 24 passes defensed, 2.0 sacks and two fumble recoveries, earning second-team All-Mid-American Conference honors last fall.
