The Buccaneers made 38 roster moves in a single day, August 30, 2026, to get from their offseason numbers down to the 53-man limit required before the season. Only a handful of those moves will matter once the games start, but they say a lot about how this team sees itself heading into the opener at Cincinnati.
Who is gone
The most notable release was quarterback Jake Browning, signed months earlier specifically to be Baker Mayfield's backup. He did not make the team. Rookie Connor Bazelak, the other quarterback competing for that job, was waived the same week. Outside linebacker Chris Braswell, a 2024 second-round pick, was let go as well, along with fellow 2024 draftees guard Elijah Klein and tight end Devin Culp. Long snapper Scott Daly was released outright, leaving Evan Deckers as the team's snapper. Receiver Dennis Houston, safety Ifeatu Melifonwu and a run of other roster-fringe players were also cut in the days around final cuts, though several, Melifonwu included, later returned on the practice squad.
The surprise keeps
The headline keep is quarterback Jalon Daniels, an undrafted rookie out of Kansas who beat out both Browning and Bazelak to become Mayfield's backup, a result Buccaneers.com called rare for the franchise with an undrafted player. Running back Sean Tucker also stuck around after reworking his contract, with Pewter Report reporting a pay cut from roughly $3.52 million down to about $2.5 million. Rookie guard Billy Schrauth made the 53 despite missing the entire preseason with a knee sprain, a decision that surprised more than one outside analyst given how little game tape the team had on him.
Filling the gaps
Two days before the roster deadline, Tampa Bay claimed cornerback Kevin Knowles off waivers from Kansas City, adding depth to a secondary that had been a running storyline all camp. The team also used its 16 practice squad spots to keep a wide net around the 53, signing tight end CJ Dippre, cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting and safety Silas Walters that same week, alongside earlier practice squad adds like receiver Garrett Greene and defensive lineman Jayson Jones.
Injured reserve
Five players landed on injured reserve. Cornerback Josh Hayes and receiver David Sills V were designated to return, giving the team a path to activate them later in the season. Outside linebacker Mohamed Kamara, defensive lineman Deshawn McKnight and safety Xavier Williams went on IR without a return designation attached. No trades were reported in either direction during the cutdown window, according to the team's own transaction log and Pewter Report's coverage of the moves.
Why it matters
A 53-man roster is never really final, injuries and waiver claims will keep reshaping it all season, but the shape of this one tells a story. Tampa Bay chose upside at backup quarterback over a proven arm, kept faith with an injured rookie guard, and used the waiver wire rather than the trade market to patch its secondary. All seven of the team's 2026 draft picks made the roster, a rookie class the front office clearly intends to lean on immediately. The Buccaneers open the season on the road against Cincinnati on September 13, and this is the group they will do it with, at least for one week.
