Plenty of tough roster decisions lie ahead for the Bucs before Tuesday, August 27 by 4:00 p.m. ET. That is when they officially will have their 53-man roster set, trimming it down from the current 90-man roster.

Head coach Todd Bowles knows there will be plenty of difficult moves to be made, especially when looking at the defense. In particular, the defensive line has had a few standout players, with Earnest Brown IV and Lwal Uguak both impressing in game action.

Of them all, though, former XFLer C.J. Brewer has stood out the most to stake his claim and make the team as the sixth defensive lineman.

Bucs DT C.J. Brewer “Blessed To Be In This Position” And Gave It His All

Bucs DT CJ Brewer – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

C.J. Brewer has had quite the journey to make it to the NFL and don a Bucs uniform. Undrafted out of Coastal Carolina in 2022 after playing five collegiate seasons, Brewer latched on with the Bills. He made their practice squad as a rookie and was elevated for two games. His only recorded statistics were two total tackles in Week 2 of the 2022 season before he was released by Buffalo that December.

Brewer did get selected by the Houston Roughnecks in the tenth round of the 2023 XFL Draft, briefly staying with them until he was released from his contract on May 15, 2023. That was when the Bucs called and signed him to the roster.

Again, it was mainly a year on the practice squad for him, but heading into training camp and the preseason in 2024, he credited all of that time to help him shine this preseason.

“Having a better understanding of the playbook and everything,” Brewer said on his year-to-year development after Friday night’s win over the Dolphins. “Just trying to have fun, being with these guys is fun every day. Trying to get better.”

Better he has gotten, and it has shown up on film.

Brewer had a solid showing throughout the preseason, continually showing chops getting in the backfield quickly, and pressuring the quarterback quite well for a defensive tackle. In the first quarter against the Dolphins, he stuffed running back Jeff Wilson for a 4-yard loss, and in the second quarter, he combined with linebacker Antonio Grier for another tackle for loss. That’s not to mention regularly cutting off runs, adding in a quarterback hit, and even deflecting a pass.

Such a performance warranted former Pewter Reporter Jon Ledyard to make quite the comparison mid-game.

Safe to say that Brewer left everything out on the field.

Bucs DT C.J. Brewer – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“I feel like I just came out and gave it my all,” Brewer said. “Blessed to be in this position, to be here playing this game for these guys and everything. I thank God for just giving me the ability to go out there and put my best foot forward.”

“It’s been fun, it’s been tough. I’ve just been trying to come in each and every day and just make plays. Do my part, do my job, and control what I can control.”

Learning from veterans Will Gholston and Vita Vea has helped him along his path to making an NFL roster.

“Those guys are real vets,” Brewer added. “Vita and Will, being around those guys, I learn something new every day. I try to pick their brains and put those little chips in my pocket and try to remember them when I’m out there playing and use them to my advantage. Those two guys everybody knows in the league. Being in the room with them, learning from them, it’s a blessing.”

Brewer did enough to make it a tough competition for the last defensive line spot on the 53-man roster. As it stands, Vea, Calijah Kancey, Logan Hall, and Greg Gaines are locks, while the 33-year-old Gholston could possibly lock in the fifth spot unless Tampa Bay wants to get younger at defensive tackle. For the sixth and final spot, it might come down to Brewer, Earnest Brown IV, and Lwal Uguak.

With his consistency, he deserves to claim it, but head coach Todd Bowles recognizes that it will not be easy to come to a verdict based on how each of them played.

“They played tough,” Bowles said about Brewer and Brown after the game. “They showed up all [training] camp. That’s going to be a spot that’s going to have some tough decisions made, and you know, we have to look at the tape.”

Through It All, C.J. Brewer Has “No Regrets” In Fight For Bucs Roster Spot

Bucs DT C.J. Brewer – Photo by: USA Today

“No matter where you are or where you start, there’s always better days ahead,” C.J. Brewer said after wrapping up his third and final preseason game.

That is what has kept Brewer going through his path to stick in the league, and no matter what happens, he is letting his play do the talking.

“No regrets,” Brewer said. “I feel like I put my best foot forward. I did my part, I’m blessed to be in this position. It’s a matter of just enjoying this process, letting those guys upstairs do what they do, handle their business. I know they are going to put the best group on the [53-man roster]. Just enjoy it and see how everything ends up.”

C.J. Brewer will soon find out if he ends up making the Bucs 53-man-roster to begin the season.