The Bucs have dealt with a variety of injuries on both sides of the football through the first quarter of the season. That has forced Tampa Bay to reshape its roster, and it continued to do so throughout Tuesday.

After news came that the team would be signing defensive tackle Desmond Watson to the practice squad earlier in the day, it was also announced that they are promoting defensive tackle C.J. Brewer to the active roster, placing tight end Ko Kieft on injured reserve, and also signing tight end Caden Prieskorn to the practice squad. In a corresponding move to bring in Prieskorn, safety Jack Henderson was released from the practice squad.

Bucs Continuing To Add DT Depth Before Facing The Eagles In Week 4

Adding C.J. Brewer to the active roster is just the latest move the Bucs have made to fortify the defensive trenches. After losing defensive tackle Calijah Kancey for the regular season, the team signed Elijah Simmons to the active roster from the Cardinals' practice squad before Week 3. Brewer provides added depth and experience in head coach Todd Bowles' defense.

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

In 12 games last season, Brewer recorded 12 tackles, three tackles for a loss, and two sacks. He did so while playing sparingly, as he entered the game on just 20.1% of the defensive snaps. One would expect the 27-year-old to fill in about the same role and rotate in when the defense needs someone with more pass-rushing chops. After seeing Logan Hall leave Sunday's game, Brewer is a needed insurance policy.

As it stands, the Bucs currently have five defensive tackles on the 53-man roster. That could be subject to change, especially as Desmond Watson, Jayson Jones, and Adam Gotsis remain on the practice squad. Watson and Jones offer plus size should there be any concern about stopping the "Tush Push," although they should be just fine as long as they have nose tackle Vita Vea.

Bucs Have Another Offensive Injury To Figure Out

Although tight end Ko Kieft is not involved in the passing game, that is not where he makes his impact. Kieft's bread and butter has been as a blocker, and he was really starting to carve out a nice niche in that role. Pro Football Focus (PFF) had him as the highest-graded offensive player, sporting an 80.1 overall grade thanks to an 83.6 run-block grade. For added context, that run-blocking metric ranks fifth out of 84 tight ends through the first three weeks, and he logged a season-high 16 snaps this past Sunday.

Bucs TE Ko Kieft and OC Josh Grizzard – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

While not heavily involved in the offensive gameplan, he still played a critical role as a supplemental blocker as the offensive line is dealing with its own laundry list of injuries. This is just the latest offensive player who will be missing time, and the initial prognosis does not appear promising, as Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud reported on Tuesday afternoon that Kieft will likely be out for the season. It is likely Todd Bowles will address that during one of his press conferences on Wednesday and/or Friday.

The "next man up" mantra will continue, and one can expect tight end Payne Durham to take some of Kieft's snaps as a primary blocker in some packages. There are three tight ends on the active roster for now, but that did not stop the Bucs from adding Caden Prieskorn to the taxi squad. Prieskorn, fresh to the organization, will be wearing No. 83.

The undrafted free agent entered the NFL with the Lions back in May before spending the preseason with the Broncos. Prieskorn, who the team is listing at 6-foot-5, 255 pounds, played collegiately at Memphis (2019-2022) and Ole Miss (2023–24), appearing in 52 career games and totaling 112 receptions for 1,531 yards with 14 touchdowns.

During his final two seasons with the Rebels, he played in 23 contests and brought in 57 passes for 850 yards and seven touchdowns. His best season came during his final year at Memphis in 2022, when he led the Tigers in receptions (48), receiving yards (602), and receiving touchdowns (seven), earning first-team All-AAC honors.