This morning the Bucs announced that they have signed safety Jaquan Johnson to their practice squad. In a corresponding move, they released defensive lineman C.J. Brewer to make the necessary room.

Bucs Add Safety Depth In Latest Move

Bucs S Jaquan Johnson -Photo by: USA Today

Adding Jaquan Johnson into the mix gives the Bucs a player with quite a bit of NFL experience. A sixth-round pick by the Bills in 2019, the 28-year-old Johnson has appeared in 60 NFL games with a total of four starts. In that time, he has tallied 58 total tackles along with two interceptions.

During his time in Buffalo, Johnson largely sat behind safeties Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, and Damar Hamlin. By coming down to Tampa Bay, he has more of a chance to work himself into the mix.

If last game’s snap counts were any indication, it is that both Ryan Neal and Dee Delaney are in a timeshare with Delaney getting most of the snaps after Neal’s season-long struggles have finally caught up to him and have him off the field on passing downs.

If anything, signing Johnson gives the team another player with more experience to have on standby. Besides Neal and Delaney, the only other safeties not named Antoine Winfield Jr. on the active roster are sixth-round pick Josh Hayes and undrafted rookie Kaevon Merriweather. With time to get acclimated, Jaquan Johnson could be a player donning red and pewter in short order. When he does, Johnson will be wearing No. 34, which was most recently worn by former Bucs safety Nolan Turner.