Following the release of fan-favorite defensive tackle Desmond Watson from the practice squad on Tuesday, the Bucs had an open spot up for grabs. The team announced on Wednesday morning that they had filled it by signing outside linebacker Benton Whitley.
Bucs Have Added Another OLB Option In A Room Filled With Question Marks
After deciding not to trade for an outside linebacker at the NFL Trade Deadline, the Bucs opted to stand pat with the players they have at the top of the depth chart. With Haason Reddick and Markees Watts both dealing with injuries, it made sense that an outside addition would come for depth purposes. It is unlikely that Benton Whitley will make a substantial impact in red and pewter, but it does begin to signal the status of other players further up the pecking order.
Looking at what Whitley offers, he is a 6-foot-4, 255-pound outside linebacker who entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Rams. He has minimal playing experience, having played in six games with the Vikings and Giants during his career. He also had a brief stop with the Cardinals this past offseason.
New Bucs OLB Benton Whitley – Photo by: USA Today
His professional statistics are minimal, but he has a fumble recovery and pass defense on his resume with more of a special teams background. Collegiately, Whitley played at Holy Cross and compiled 111 tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss, 15.5 sacks, two passes defensed, and one forced fumble over 42 games.
It was announced that he would wear No. 56 for Tampa Bay.
Not much of an update has been given on Reddick, who has missed the past two games with ankle and knee injuries. Watts will also be on the shelf for another week or two dealing with a hand injury. In last week’s game, that led to a depth chart of Yaya Diaby, Anthony Nelson, Chris Braswell, and Mohamed Kamara, who was elevated from the practice squad. Kamara has one elevation left this season and was primarily used on special teams.
Should Reddick and/or Watts continue to miss time, Whitley could become a roster elevation down the road for Thomas McGaughey’s unit. Otherwise, what the defensive snap counts from this past week’s game assert is that it will be a heavy dose of Diaby (80%) and Nelson (92%) with Braswell (26%) rotating in until players return from injury. The fact it is such a thin room makes this cause for concern with the Bucs needing to play their best football over the next couple of games.
Adam Slivon has covered the Bucs for four seasons with PewterReport.com as a Bucs Beat Writer, Social Media Manager, and Podcaster. Adam started as an intern during his time at the University of Tampa, where he graduated with a degree in Sport Management in May 2023.
In addition to his regular written content, he appears every Thursday on the Pewter Report Podcast, has a weekly YouTube Top 10 Takeaways video series, and leads the managing of the site's social media platforms.
As a Wisconsin native, he spent his childhood growing up on a farm and enjoys Culver's, kringle, and a quality game of cornhole. You can find him most often on X @AdamLivsOn.
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