The Bucs have made the necessary cuts to get down to their initial 53-man roster
Well ahead of the Tuesday deadline, the Tampa Bay Bucs have their initial 53-man roster set according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports. It came with a few surprises and some players beginning the year on injured reserve. Here’s the roster as it now stands;
So here’s the Bucs’ 53-man roster. First, offense (23):
QB (2): Baker Mayfield, Kyle Trask
RB (3): Rachaad White, Bucky Irving, Sean Tucker
WR (5): Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan, Trey Palmer, Kam Johnson
TE (4): Cade Otton, Payne Durham, Ko Kieft, Devin Culp
OL (9):…— Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 27, 2024
Bucs’ 53-man roster, defense (27):
DL (6): Vita Vea, Calijah Kancey, Logan Hall, Greg Gaines, Will Gholston, Earnest Brown
OLB (6): Yaya Diaby, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Chris Braswell, Anthony Nelson, Markees Watts, Jose Ramirez
ILB (4): Lavonte David, K.J. Britt, SirVocea Dennis,…— Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 27, 2024
One of the first things that jumps out is that the Bucs are only keeping five receivers, opting not to give Cody Thompson a roster spot after he led the NFL in receptions this preseason. He was very impressive in his opportunity, but will likely be back on the practice squad.
Another practice squad contender is receiver Sterling Shepard, who was signed this off-season and reunited with Oklahoma teammate Baker Mayfield. However, he dealt with injury through much of camp and the preseason so he was released Monday afternoon.
The Bucs are also keeping eleven defensive backs, a sign that many will contribute on special teams in addition to providing depth in a scheme that uses a lot of versatile corners and safeties. Undrafted rookie Tyrek Funderburk is among those to make the team and is hoping to be as impactful as undrafted rookie Christian Izien was last season.