The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have trimmed their roster to 53 players, and one of the most notable moves came with the release of Chris Braswell, their 2024 second-round pick.
Braswell’s exit closes the book on a short and underwhelming run in Tampa Bay. Over two seasons, he produced just 2.5 sacks, far short of what the Buccaneers expected when they used an early pick on him.
The move fits the direction Tampa Bay took this offseason. The team rebuilt its outside linebacker group by adding Al-Quadin Muhammad, drafting Rueben Bain Jr., and getting David Walker back from injury. Those additions crowded the room and left Braswell without a real path to the roster.
His place on the depth chart kept slipping as the preseason went on. He was outplayed by undrafted rookie Jack Pyburn and practice squad hopeful Mohamed Kamara, while undrafted rookie Yasir Holmes also made a stronger impression with a solid preseason.
That left the Buccaneers with a decision that had been building for a while. Braswell never developed into the impact pass rusher they hoped for, and Tampa Bay could not afford to keep waiting.
For now, it is unclear whether he will land on the practice squad or look for a fresh start elsewhere. He still has second-round value attached to his name, and at 24 years old, he could still attract interest from teams looking for pass rush help.
From Tampa Bay’s perspective, the bigger picture is the state of the edge rush rotation. On paper, this may be the deepest pass rush the Buccaneers have had since their 13-4 season in 2021, and that reality made Braswell the odd man out.
In the end, the Buccaneers chose urgency over patience. With head coach Todd Bowles on the hot seat and a make-or-break season ahead, Tampa Bay could not keep hoping Braswell would turn into the player they thought they were drafting.
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 🡒]