The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed two recently tenured Buccaneers’ back onto the team. Safety Kaevon Merriweather was signed off the Detroit Lions’ practice squad onto the Bucs active roster on Tuesday, while last season’s starting Tampa Bay safety Ryan Neal was signed onto the team’s practice squad, with his last action being the team’s divisional round loss in Detroit.
These signings come after continued injuries to the Buccaneers’ secondary. With the addition of Jordan Whitehead to injured reserve and the lingering injury to rookie S Tykee Smith, depth is clearly a point of focus for Tampa Bay.
Kaevon Merriweather was signed to the Tampa Bay roster in 2023 as an undrafted free agent and played in sixteen games last season. He was on the Bucs’ active roster up until November 18th, when he was waived and signed to the Lions’ practice squad. Since Merriweather wasn’t on the Lions’ active roster, the Bucs were able to offer him a roster spot and he chose to return. He should have a role in this secondary immediately as a depth piece.
Ryan Neal was signed to a one-year contract in the offseason of 2023 as a four-year veteran, and after having played in fifteen of the team’s seventeen games last season, plus two playoff games, didn’t get re-signed by Tampa Bay, or any team. He posted a career-high in tackles, with 76 combined, but didn’t manage to force a turnover throughout the year. If the Bucs face any more injuries to the secondary this season, Neal will surely be brought up to the active roster and trusted to play in key situations down the stretch.
There’s a clear theme of bringing in familiar faces when it comes to adding mid-season pieces to this complex Todd Bowles defense. We’ll see how it works out, as the IR list has continued to add up throughout this 2024 season and all depth will be appreciated for this upcoming playoff run.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed two recently tenured Buccaneers’ back onto the team. Safety Kaevon Merriweather was signed off the Detroit Lions’ practice squad onto the Bucs active roster on Tuesday, while last season’s starting Tampa Bay safety Ryan Neal was signed onto the team’s practice squad, with his last action being the team’s divisional round loss in Detroit.
These signings come after continued injuries to the Buccaneers’ secondary. With the addition of Jordan Whitehead to injured reserve and the lingering injury to rookie S Tykee Smith, depth is clearly a point of focus for Tampa Bay.
Kaevon Merriweather was signed to the Tampa Bay roster in 2023 as an undrafted free agent and played in sixteen games last season. He was on the Bucs’ active roster up until November 18th, when he was waived and signed to the Lions’ practice squad. Since Merriweather wasn’t on the Lions’ active roster, the Bucs were able to offer him a roster spot and he chose to return. He should have a role in this secondary immediately as a depth piece.
Ryan Neal was signed to a one-year contract in the offseason of 2023 as a four-year veteran, and after having played in fifteen of the team’s seventeen games last season, plus two playoff games, didn’t get re-signed by Tampa Bay, or any team. He posted a career-high in tackles, with 76 combined, but didn’t manage to force a turnover throughout the year. If the Bucs face any more injuries to the secondary this season, Neal will surely be brought up to the active roster and trusted to play in key situations down the stretch.
There’s a clear theme of bringing in familiar faces when it comes to adding mid-season pieces to this complex Todd Bowles defense. We’ll see how it works out, as the IR list has continued to add up throughout this 2024 season and all depth will be appreciated for this upcoming playoff run.
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