The Buccaneers added another running back to the mix on Sunday, bringing in former North Dakota State back Barika Kpeenu after their first preseason game.
Fox Sports’ Greg Auman reported the move on X, and Kpeenu arrives with a productive college résumé. In 2025, he ran for 1,005 yards and 20 touchdowns for the Bison, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. He also chipped in as a receiver with 20 catches for 247 yards and a touchdown.
Kpeenu’s production at North Dakota State went well beyond one season. He finished with 2,277 rushing yards on 434 carries, a 5.2-yard average, and 34 rushing touchdowns.
Through the air, he added 35 receptions for 369 yards and two more scores. He played alongside right guard Cody Mauch in 2022.
At 5-foot-9 and 213 pounds, Kpeenu also posted a 4.66 time in the 40-yard dash coming out of college.
The signing came after Tampa Bay parted ways with Kadarius Calloway, its fifth-string running back, following a rough preseason debut in the Bucs’ 24-16 win over the Jets. Calloway, an undrafted free agent, muffed a kickoff that he returned for just 10 yards in the first quarter in New York and finished with 13 yards on eight carries, a 1.6 average. He was the only Tampa Bay ballcarrier who did not average at least three yards per carry in the game.
Josh Williams led the Buccaneers on the ground with 27 yards on eight carries and a touchdown.
Tampa Bay now has five running backs on its training camp roster: starter Bucky Irving, along with Kenneth Gainwell, Sean Tucker, Williams and Kpeenu. The Bucs will likely trim that group to four on the final 53-man roster after the last preseason game later in August.
In Other News...
Jason Licht Faces Real Pressure As Costly Bucs Deals Backfire
The Buccaneers are starting to feel the weight of a few expensive bets, with CBS Sports putting Chris Godwin and Cade Otton on its All-Overpaid team. Both players were brought in to be important parts of the offense, but their contracts now stand out for all the wrong reasons as Tampa Bay works through the realities of roster building and cap management.
Godwins case is especially frustrating because injuries have kept him from delivering the kind of week-to-week impact the Bucs expected, while Otton has not produced at a level that matches his deal. With more contract decisions looming and a possible rebuild on the table if the Baker Mayfield situation cannot be settled, Jason Licht is entering a stretch where the margin for error is getting a lot thinner. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Roster Battle Just Got More Crowded With Two New Additions
The Buccaneers have added two more names to the mix as roster competition continues to take shape ahead of the 2026 season. Tampa Bay signed safety Robert McDaniel and running back Barika Kpeenu, giving the team another look at a pair of players with different paths to the NFL, while moving on from defensive back Marcus Banks and running back Kadarius Calloway.
McDaniel arrives after a stint on the Washington Commanders' practice squad, and Kpeenu brings a college rsum from North Dakota State. For both players, the next step is straightforward enough: earn a spot on the roster or at least stick around on the practice squad, which is exactly the kind of depth battle the Buccaneers have kept churning through as they sort out the bottom of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Josiah Trotter Is Forcing His Way Into A Bigger Bucs Role
Josiah Trotter has spent training camp looking like more than a rookie trying to find his footing. The Buccaneers second-round pick has drawn notice for his physical style and feel for the game, earning steady praise from teammates and coaches while making a case that he belongs in the conversation right away.
The bigger picture is hard to miss for Tampa Bay. Trotter is being viewed as a possible long-term defensive leader, the kind of player who could line up with Rueben Bain Jr. as part of the teams next core, and he is also in the mix for meaningful snaps this season. With Lavonte David now retired, the Bucs are looking for the next linebacker who can carry that standard, and Trotter has already shown enough veteran-like polish to keep that search interesting. [Read more 🡒]