Bucs Make Flurry Of Roster Moves

In what was an off-day for the Bucs this week, they decided to be active in shaking up the 53-man roster and practice squad with a bevy of roster moves involving six players.

A Change On Bucs’ Active Roster Does Not Bode Well For Key Starter

It has been reported that tight end David Wells has been released from the 53-man roster, with inside linebacker J.J. Russell taking his spot. On the practice squad, some further shuffling was made as cornerback Don Gardner and safety Jaquan Johnson were both released.

Filling their respective spots are linebacker Vi Jones, cornerback Quandre Mosely, and wide receiver Raliegh Webb. First reporting these various moves include Fox Sports’ Greg Auman, Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud, and NFL Trade Rumors.

Bucs ILB J.J. Russell – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Let’s start with the swap of Wells for Russell. After being active during the first few games of the season after a strong training camp, David Wells has not seen the field in recent weeks as fifth-round pick Payne Durham has been active for games and starting to get his feet under him.

Wells did not offer much as a blocker or receiver, hauling in two passes for negative ten yards. Until further notice, it appears that the tight end depth chart will be Cade Otton-Payne Durham-Ko Kieft, while undrafted rookie Tanner Taula remains on the practice squad.

Adding J.J. Russell speaks to the status of Lavonte David, who left Sunday’s game with a groin injury. While head coach Todd Bowles did not offer too much of an update on his timeline, adding Russell into the picture very well could mean David misses some time. If that is the case, expect SirVocea Dennis, another fifth-round rookie, to be on the field alongside Devin White with K.J. Britt and Russell as the backups and primarily filling in on special teams.

Quite A Bit Of Shuffling On Bucs’ Practice Squad

In terms of the practice squad, three spots were opened up with the elevation of Russell and with the team releasing Don Gardner and Jaquan Johnson. Both players were added recently, with Johnson’s stay being less than a week, and he was only signed after Ryan Neal suffered a thumb injury and missed Sunday’s game.

The Bucs decided to swap out one cornerback for another between Gardner and Quandre Mosely. Mosely was an undrafted free-agent cornerback signed by the Patriots last season, appearing in just one game and getting one snap. He does have the size of a cornerback that fits Todd Bowles’ system at 6-1, 185, and he did play in 33 games over three seasons at Kentucky.

Bucs LB Vi Jones – Photo by: USA Today

Vi Jones has quite the NFL family tree. His brother Zay is currently a wide receiver for the Jaguars, while his dad Robert played ten years in the league and won three Super Bowls with the Cowboys in the 1990s. Heck, even his uncle Jeff Blake had a Pro Bowl appearance as a quarterback. While his family has made their presence known in the NFL, Vi Jones is still trying to make his own name for himself.

He profiles as a speedy inside linebacker who played college ball at USC and North Carolina State. Jones was an undrafted free agent who appeared in three games with the Seahawks last season. This profile on Vi Jones on SI.com last season shares a lot about what head coach Pete Carroll thought of what Jones offered the team. For now, he takes Russell’s position on the practice squad.

Last but not least is an addition to the wide receiver room in Raleigh Webb. Webb was last with the Dolphins and has previously spent time with the Patriots and Ravens. At 6-2, 212 pounds, he has more size than many of the options on the roster, but any impact he would potentially make would be special teams-based. He appeared in 12 games with the Patriots last season, logging ten or more special teams snaps in each. He has yet to make an NFL catch, but during his college days at The Citadel, he provided value as a wide receiver, running back, and kick returner.