The Buccaneers found a late offseason answer for one of the few lingering questions on their defense, and they did it by bringing back a familiar face.
Tampa Bay has spent the offseason loading up on the defensive side, and on paper the group looks much better than it did before. Cornerback was one of the spots still worth watching, though, because the Bucs had promising young players but not much in the way of veteran depth. That changed when they reunited with Sean Murphy-Bunting and signed him to the practice squad, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Murphy-Bunting is no stranger to Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers drafted him in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and he spent his first four seasons with the team. In that stretch, he logged nine interceptions when the postseason is included and fit Todd Bowles’ system because of his versatility.
That flexibility still matters. Murphy-Bunting has 65 career starts, works primarily as a nickel cornerback and can move outside if needed. For a team looking for experienced insurance in the defensive backfield, that makes him a clean fit.
His availability late in the offseason came after Arizona released him while he was working back from a torn ACL and damaged MCL that kept him out for the entire 2025 season.
There’s also the matter of what he already meant to this franchise. Murphy-Bunting played a real role in Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl LV run, picking off passes in three straight playoff games on the way to the title. He built a reputation as a ballhawk who seemed to show up in the biggest moments.
For the Bucs, the move comes at a bargain. Practice squad pay is set in advance, so there wasn’t much of a negotiation here. Murphy-Bunting is expected to make between $18,350 and $22,850 per week based on his veteran status, and he won’t count against the 53-man roster unless Tampa Bay elevates him for game day.
It’s the kind of move that ties a bow on a defensive overhaul. Now the roster is in place; the next step is on the coaches to put the right plan together and on the players to carry it out.
If Murphy-Bunting finds even some of the form he showed in Tampa Bay before, this could end up looking even bigger than it does right now.
In Other News...
Bucs Settle Quarterback Depth Question With Late Veteran Addition
The Buccaneers added another layer to their quarterback room late in the week, signing veteran Easton Stick to the practice squad as a depth move behind Baker Mayfield and Jalon Daniels. Stick, a North Dakota State product and former fifth-round pick, brings NFL experience from stints with the Chargers and Falcons, and he arrives with a familiar face in the building thanks to his prior working relationship with offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.
It is the kind of quiet roster move teams make when they want to settle a question before it becomes a larger one, especially at quarterback. Tampa Bay had been exploring its options after Jake Browning declined a practice squad offer, and Stick now gives the Bucs an experienced fallback as they continue sorting out the backup picture behind their top two passers. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Final Roster Cuts Included A Few Notable Veteran Decisions
The Buccaneers have trimmed their roster down to 53 as the regular season approaches, and the final wave of cuts included a few names that stood out beyond the usual end-of-August churn. Tampa Bay released quarterback Jake Browning and safety Ifeatu Melifonwu as part of a broader set of moves, while also waiving several other players who could still circle back if they clear waivers and land on the practice squad.
The roster picture is not fully settled yet, though. The Buccaneers also placed two players on injured reserve with designations to return, and now the attention shifts to assembling the practice squad once the waived players pass through waivers. For a team trying to preserve depth and keep familiar pieces close, the next day or two should reveal how much of this group stays in the building. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Just Created A Strange New Waiting Game With Jack Pyburn
The Buccaneers made one of the more curious moves of their roster-cutdown period by waiving undrafted rookie linebacker Jack Pyburn before the final deadline. Pyburn had stood out in the preseason, finishing with the most sacks on the team, which made his status worth watching as Tampa Bay worked through the last wave of decisions. Instead, his future now shifts to the waiver process, where every team gets a look before the next chapter begins.
Pyburns next step is unusual enough to make this more than a standard roster note. Because of an ongoing legal challenge to NCAA eligibility rules for players with professional experience, there is at least a path for him to potentially return to college football at LSU. LSU and other players are involved in that litigation, and preliminary injunction hearings are scheduled, leaving Pyburn in a waiting game that stretches beyond the NFL waiver wire and into a broader eligibility fight. [Read more 🡒]