The Bucs made another secondary shuffle during training camp, announcing a roster move on Sunday afternoon. Tampa Bay has waived cornerback Chase Lucas with a failed physical designation and has signed safety Xavier Williams to take his place on the 90-man roster.
Buccaneers Sign Xavier Williams
Press Release: https://t.co/ejoQc4MyNK
— Buccaneers Communications (@BuccaneersComms) August 9, 2026
What Does Latest Bucs Roster Move Say About Secondary Outlook?
By waiving Chase Lucas, the Bucs quickly said goodbye to a cornerback they seemed hopeful about adding during the offseason.
Lucas failed to get up to speed for training camp, which the failed physical designation points to. Lucas came to Tampa Bay after spending last season with the 49ers. Much of his experience was on special teams, and in 33 career games, he recorded 15 tackles. He never profiled as a strong coverage cornerback, and with other cornerbacks earning their keep through two weeks of camp, Lucas proved expendable.
Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
The current cornerback depth chart is led by Zyon McCollum, with Jacob Parrish earning the second spot by default with Benjamin Morrison injured. Morrison is the third cornerback when healthy, with undrafted rookie Ayden Garnes coming on strong for a depth spot.
Fourth-round pick Keionte Scott projects as the starting nickel but has played plenty of outside cornerback in camp, making him a versatile option that head coach Todd Bowles will also consider. Otherwise, Damarion “Pepe” Williams, Josh Hayes, and Kemon Hall are all fighting to make the 53-man roster and/or the practice squad.
Xavier Williams is the newest addition to the safety room, bringing plenty of size on the backend. Williams stands 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, which is roughly the same size as veteran Ifeatu Melifonwu, who was signed at the beginning of camp.
New Bucs S Xavier Williams – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect
After going undrafted, Williams was a tryout during the team’s 2026 rookie minicamp. In 2025 with Cincinnati, he appeared in 12 games, recording 39 tackles, one forced fumble and one pass defensed. Before that, he spent time at Middle Tennessee State in 2024 after initially starting his collegiate career as a quarterback for UCF (2023) and Charlotte (2021-2022). Interestingly enough, he has a connection to the coaching staff, as defensive line coach Marcus West worked at Charlotte between 2019 and 2021.
Williams joins a crowded safety room, and he does not have a ton of time to emerge. The depth chart features Antoine Winfield Jr., Tykee Smith, Miles Killebrew, JJ Roberts, Melifonwu, Rashad Wisdom, and Marcus Banks. Should he stand out during the rest of camp and the preseason, he stands to be an option for the practice squad. Stay tuned to PewterReport.com for the latest Bucs news and updates.
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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