Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles is quite impressed with rookie UDFA linebacker Caden Fordham. When asked to choose the name of a player who stood out to him from the Bucs’ first preseason game against the New York Jets, Bowles noted Fordham as the first player to note on his list.
“Had a heck of a ballgame,” Bowles said of the performance.
Fordham played 27 snaps in the preseason win over the Jets. He played 18 snaps in coverage and rushed the passer on two snaps, per PFF. He also had seven snaps as a run defender. Overall, he had a grade of 78.8, which is above average and matches what Bowles saw.
It was sound overall. He had a 78.4 tackling grade, 72.5 coverage grade, and a 70.5 pass rush grade. All of those are above average. Even his 64.9 run defense grade was still slightly above average.
Still, as Pewter Report notes in their 53-man roster projection, the strong performance might only mean a good chance at the practice squad, and not quite a move up to the roster.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Todd Bowles Impressed With Caden Fordham
Getty Caden Fordham #1 of the NC State Wolfpack
The Pewter Report 53-man roster projection has four linebackers making the team ahead of him, and it is hard to make the case against any of them.
Tampa Bay sat Alex Anzalone and SirVocea Dennis despite them being healthy for the preseason opener. That should tell you about their status. The team also sat Christian Rozeboom, although that was due to injury.
Still, Rozeboom had 17 starts for the Carolina Panthers last year. He might not start, but that makes him quality depth.
Lastly, Josiah Trotter did play. However, the second-round rookie needed experience, and he excelled in his limited time. He was off the field much sooner than Fordham saw the field in the preseason opener.
Fordham is competing for the fifth spot with John Bullock, who was a UDFA from Nebraska in 2025. Bullock took the Fordham path to the practice squad last year and now hopes to make the team in his second year. He had 27 snaps as well, but did not grade out as well as Fordham did, despite playing next to him.
Bucs Might Have a UDFA Gem in Fordham
Fordham was a bit of an unknown coming into the NFL. However, he tested slightly above average at his Pro Day. His biggest issues were his size and explosion metrics. His speed and agility were strong.
Fordham was a five-year player at North Carolina State. He was a reserve for his first two years, but started to mix in as a starter in his third year.
Fordham started the first six weeks of his senior year, but suffered a season-ending injury and got an extra year of eligibility. In 2025, Fordham was a 15-game starter for the Wolfpack. Still, he was a complete unknown before that, causing him to go undrafted.
Now, he has a strong chance to find himself on the Bucs’ practice squad with two more solid games.
Todd Bowles Singles Out Buccaneers Rookie UDFA