The Tampa Bay Buccaneers claimed cornerback Kevin Knowles off waivers, according to the NFL transaction wire. The team waived rookie UDFA Caden Fordham to make room. Knowles made the Kansas City Chiefs‘ initial 53-man roster, but was let go in the roster shuffle.
The second-year UDFA had to clear waivers. So, on the second day after roster cutdowns, the Bucs have now made a new roster addition. Interestingly enough, the Chiefs added two players, which led to the release of Knowles. One of those players was Jack Pyburn, whom the Bucs released a day prior.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Claim Kevin Knowles Off Waivers
Knowles was a UDFA from Florida State in 2025. He spent his first year with the Kansas City Chiefs. He was initially signed to their practice squad, but was called up and active for six games.
In total, he had 83 snaps, with almost all of them being in the slot. He returned to the Chiefs after finishing the year on the active roster. After a strong preseason that featured 24 snaps played, it was looking like he was going to make the Chiefs roster.
However, the roster crunch pushed him off. The team expected him to land back on the practice squad, but he was one of two waiver claims made the day after the initial waivers.
Because the Bucs claimed Knowles, they will have to keep him on their active roster for the first four weeks of the regular season. That shows a real interest.
Bucs Add a Cornerback
The Bucs had a few battles at the end of the cornerback depth chart, but a few names who were competing did not stick around. Both Josh Hayes and Pepe Williams were placed on the IR, as injuries hurt their chances of sticking around.
So, rookie UDFA Ayden Garnes went from competing with both for a final roster spot to making his way onto the roster relatively uncontested.
Tampa Bay has Jacob Parrish and Zyon McCollum on the outside. The only question is whether they will slide Parrish inside to the slot and bring in Benjamin Morrison on the outside, or play Keionte Scott in the slot when they need three cornerbacks.
Still, Scott is a safety as well as a slot cornerback, and the team likes his versatility. They are not trying to pin him into the slot.
Scott is also just a rookie, and he fell to the fourth round. So, adding a cornerback with slot experience such as Knowles is notable. Perhaps most notable, Knowles had 230 career special teams snaps and performed well on special teams for the Chiefs in the preseason for a second straight year. So, he should be able to come in and make an immediate impact on one area.
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