Getty Bucs head coach Todd Bowles has two new defensive players to work with.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a couple of signings after rookie minicamp and one of them played for a 2022 Super Bowl contender.
Tampa Bay signed former Buffalo Bills defensive tackle C.J. Brewer and former Delaware safety Kedrick Whitehead on Monday, May 15, according to FOX Sports’ Greg Auman. The Bucs also waived tackle Dylan Cook and rookie linebacker Nelson Mbanasor to keep the roster number at 90 players, Auman reported.
Brewer played in two games for the Bills last season followed by a stint with the XFL’s Houston Roughnecks. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Bills in 2022 and made the practice squad and then made two tackles in his first NFL game. With the Roughnecks, Brewer tallied 17 tackles and 2.5 tackles in 10 games this year.
Before the pros, Brewer had a standout career at Coastal Carolina where he tallied 230 tackles and 15.5 sacks in 43 career games. He helped the Chanticleers emerge as a top-25 FBS program in recent years.
Listed as fourth string with the Bucs, Brewer will have his work cut out for him. The Bucs notably will look to rotate defensive lineman, which Brewer could crack if he moves up the depth chart before September.
“There’s going to be times for all of that, depending on the game plan and who we’re playing and how they want to attack us,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles told reporters on May 12 regarding a defensive line rotation. “That will be self-explanatory and take care of itself. We have the ability to morph into quite a few things up there. Gameplan-wise, I’m sure we will.”
Kedrick Whitehead Has Unique Bucs Connection
Whitehead, who went undrafted, earned a tryout with the Bucs for the rookie minicamp. He had a solid career with the Blue Hens FCS program amid 295 tackles, five interceptions, 25 pass deflections, and two sacks.
While there’s no known relation to former Bucs starting defensive back Jordan Whitehead, the former Delaware star notably played for the same high school as Bucs wideout Chris Godwin, Auman reported. Bowles said undrafted rookies such as Kedrick Whitehead have a legitimate shot to make the final 53-man roster this year.
“Well, they’ve got to prove that. There are some we liked, and we hoped that they can turn into what they were in college,” Bowles said. “We have a few of those but we’re not anointing anybody on the first day of practice.”
Bucs Add Veteran Receiver After Minicamp
The Bucs landed a veteran receiver in former Seattle Seahawks wideout David Moore, 28, on Sunday, May 14. Moore received a veteran tryout invitation for the Bucs’ rookie minicamp after minimal playing time the past two years.
Former Seahawk WR and tryout player David Moore reels in a pass during #Bucs Rookie Minicamp
“[Moore] worked with [Bucs offensive coordinator] Dave Canales and Brad Idzik in Seattle, now will compete for a backup receiver job in Tampa,” Auman reported.
Moore last played for the Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers in 2021 after he didn’t pan out with the Carolina Panthers and Las Vegas Raiders that year. However, he did well in Seattle amid 78 receptions for 1,163 yards and 13 touchdowns, and he served as the third receiver after DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.
Auman added that the “Bucs don’t have much experience at receiver” besides Mike Evans, Godwin, and Russell Gage, which could mean an opportunity for Moore. Auman also noted that Moore’s off-field trouble in 2022 — “a misdemeanor possession of marijuana charge” — got “resolved with a plea agreement and sixth months of probation”.