The Bucs are now up to three empty spots on their active roster. Following the placement of safety Christian Izien on injured reserve earlier this week, Tampa

Bucs DT Earnest Brown – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Bay has released reserve defensive players Antonio Grier and Earnest Brown IV. The team did not make any immediate corresponding moves so they now have just 50 players on their 53-man active roster.

Buccaneers Waive Brown, Grier

Press Release: https://t.co/3vv7Gs1fUu

— Buccaneers Communications (@BuccaneersComms) December 27, 2024

Brown was a pre-season darling, making several plays as a pass rusher. Player grading site Pro Football Focus credited him with five pressures, including a quarterback hit in the final two preseason games of the season. In the regular season Brown has played sparingly as the team’s sixth defensive lineman, registering just 21 defensive snaps across three games. Brown has not been a special teams contributor which made him less useful for the team’s current roster needs.

Grier, on the other hand has over 100 special teams snaps across four different units, but just two defensive snaps. But as the Bucs are getting healthier at linebacker with starter K.J. Britt listed as questionable on Friday’s injury report and J.J. Russell and Vi Jones both at full health, the team has opted to let go of their fifth linebacker.

Possible Replacements For Bucs

Bucs SS Jordan Whitehead – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

With three open spots on their active roster there will be plenty of speculation that the team will be adding former star Shaq Barrett following his release from the Miami Dolphins. And while the team may be interested in a reunion with the veteran pass rusher, don’t look for this to be the transaction that re-ties the knot.

Practice squad punter Jack Browning has no elevations left so the Bucs will have to use one of those spots on him. Browning has hardly impressed since making his debut week 14 against the Las Vegas Raiders. His 33.9 net average is one of the lowest in the NFL and over 50% of his punts are being returned at a 12.5 yards per return average.

The other two likely candidates are players currently on injured reserve who have had their practice windows opened up. Receiver Kam Johnson is nearing the end of his window which was opened December 12th. If the Bucs don’t activate him by December 31st, he will revert to permanent injured reserve. Whitehead was designated for return on Christmas Eve and has been practicing all week. Both players were listed as questionable on the team’s Friday injury report.

Whitehead would be the most welcome return with Izien going down and adding to the team’s injury woes at defensive back. Antoine Winfield Jr. has already been ruled out for this week’s game, but Mike Edwards was listed as a full participant all week and has no injury designation for Sunday’s game.

If Whitehead is re-activated, he and Edwards would likely start together.

Shaq Barrett

As I said earlier, Barrett is most likely not ready to re-join the team’s active roster. But the Bucs could add Barrett to their practice squad and still elevate him for their remaining few games. This would allow Barrett to earn full game checks while not occupying a roster spot until he is ready.