The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have re-signed exclusive rights free agent cornerback Javien Elliott to a one-year deal worth the league mandated $630,000. The 24-year old Elliott is entering his third year in the league after joining the Bucs in 2016 as an undrafted free agent out of Florida State where he was a walk-on.

He saw reduced playing time last year on defense, recording just five tackles while fellow second-year cornerback Ryan Smith saw an increased role. Elliott saw action as the Bucs’ nickel cornerback in six games during his rookie season, replacing the injured Jude Adjei-Barimah, and recording 10 tackles and a pass breakup.

Bucs CB Javien Elliott – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Up next for Tampa Bay will be re-signing exclusive rights free agent Peyton Barber to a similar one-year deal worth $630,000. Expect that to occur this weekend or early next week. Barber made the team as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn and rushed for 223 yards on 55 carries (4.1 avg.), including a 44-yard touchdown at San Francisco.

Last year, Barber emerged as the team’s starter late in the season after Doug Martin faltered and finished as the Bucs’ leading rusher with 423 yards and three touchdowns on 108 carries (3.9 avg.). Barber also caught 16 passes for 114 yards (7.1 avg.).

Barber had the Bucs’ only 100-yard rushing game last year, which came at Green Bay when we carried the ball a career-high 23 times for 102 yards (4.4 avg.) and caught four passes for 41 yards (10.3 avg.). The 5-foot-11, 225-pound Barber received carries in 10 games and averaged over four yards per carry in four of Tampa Bay’s last five games of the season.

The Bucs have three restricted free agents, including tight end Cameron Brate, who led the Bucs with six touchdowns last year, wide receiver Adam Humphries, who was Tampa Bay’s third-leading receiver, and defensive end Ryan Russell, who recorded two sacks last season. Tampa Bay is moving on from Russell and will not be tendering him with an offer, thus making him a free agent.

The Bucs are trying to work on multi-year extensions with Brate and Humphries, but will tender one-year offers to both if a deal isn’t reached by the deadline on Wednesday. Neither Brate nor Humphries were drafted, but Brate could receive either a the $4.194 million tender, which would come with first-round draft pick compensation if another team signed him to an offer sheet, or the $2.914 million tender, which would come with second-round draft pick compensation.

Humphries is expected to get the low tender worth $1.907, which would come with no draft pick compensation if he was signed to another team, or the second-round tender depending on how much value the team has in him.