Many unexpected moves come in the days after the 53-man roster cuts in the NFL. Cutting a roster down from 90 players is a huge task and many players are looking for new homes in that time period. A handful of released players generally return to the team that cut them, accepting a spot on the “practice squad”, not counting against the team’s 53-man roster, but still able to work throughout the week with the team.
That’s what was thought to happen from former Buccaneers QB John Wolford after he was cut by the team on Monday. Since he is familiar with the new offensive coordinator, Liam Coen’s offense with their time together in Los Angeles and being a member of this Bucs team since last season.
But shortly after, the team made a shocking move to bring a new QB into the organization as a member of the practice squad. Seventh-round rookie QB Michael Pratt from Tulane was released onto the waiver wire by the Green Bay Packers. He was selected with the 245th overall pick, exactly one pick before Tampa Bay’s seventh-round pick, which they ultimately spent on Devin Culp, another late-round rookie that made the initial 2024 Tampa Bay roster.
“We were ready to take Michael, with our seventh-round pick.” Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht said recently on “The Sick Podcast - Pirate Parlay” about the draft. “And it’s never happened to me, in my ten years as a GM, where the pick before you- the player that you wanted in the seventh-round gets picked.”
All seemed to have turned out well for Jason Licht and company in the end. With back-up QB Kyle Trask in the final year of his rookie deal, this front office may believe they have a diamond in the rough with rookie Michael Pratt. The Bucs GM also touched on the traits he saw from Tulane’s former stand-out quarterback.
“He’s got all the intangibles you look for in a quarterback.” Licht continued. “In terms of his intelligence, his work ethic, his leadership, his toughness. We certainly had our eye on him for a while.” Jason then connected the dots. “When I transferred to a smaller school, an NIA-school, my Head Coach was his coordinator there for a while at Tulane. So I’ve heard about him for a while.”
The season has just begun and Pratt now has the opportunity to win over players and coaches at practice and within the facility everyday. This Buccaneer front office spent a high-round pick on Kyle Trask and he performed pretty well in the 2024 preseason. But if his opportunities continue to be limited in-season for Trask and Michael Pratt only shows promise in his time on the practice squad, the Bucs’ decision makers will have to pay Kyle Trask or potentially let him get a shot somewhere else.
Many unexpected moves come in the days after the 53-man roster cuts in the NFL. Cutting a roster down from 90 players is a huge task and many players are looking for new homes in that time period. A handful of released players generally return to the team that cut them, accepting a spot on the “practice squad”, not counting against the team’s 53-man roster, but still able to work throughout the week with the team.
That’s what was thought to happen from former Buccaneers QB John Wolford after he was cut by the team on Monday. Since he is familiar with the new offensive coordinator, Liam Coen’s offense with their time together in Los Angeles and being a member of this Bucs team since last season.
But shortly after, the team made a shocking move to bring a new QB into the organization as a member of the practice squad. Seventh-round rookie QB Michael Pratt from Tulane was released onto the waiver wire by the Green Bay Packers. He was selected with the 245th overall pick, exactly one pick before Tampa Bay’s seventh-round pick, which they ultimately spent on Devin Culp, another late-round rookie that made the initial 2024 Tampa Bay roster.
“We were ready to take Michael, with our seventh-round pick.” Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht said recently on “The Sick Podcast - Pirate Parlay” about the draft. “And it’s never happened to me, in my ten years as a GM, where the pick before you- the player that you wanted in the seventh-round gets picked.”
All seemed to have turned out well for Jason Licht and company in the end. With back-up QB Kyle Trask in the final year of his rookie deal, this front office may believe they have a diamond in the rough with rookie Michael Pratt. The Bucs GM also touched on the traits he saw from Tulane’s former stand-out quarterback.
“He’s got all the intangibles you look for in a quarterback.” Licht continued. “In terms of his intelligence, his work ethic, his leadership, his toughness. We certainly had our eye on him for a while.” Jason then connected the dots. “When I transferred to a smaller school, an NIA-school, my Head Coach was his coordinator there for a while at Tulane. So I’ve heard about him for a while.”
The season has just begun and Pratt now has the opportunity to win over players and coaches at practice and within the facility everyday. This Buccaneer front office spent a high-round pick on Kyle Trask and he performed pretty well in the 2024 preseason. But if his opportunities continue to be limited in-season for Trask and Michael Pratt only shows promise in his time on the practice squad, the Bucs’ decision makers will have to pay Kyle Trask or potentially let him get a shot somewhere else.
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