The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have finalized their initial top 53 in accordance with the 1 PM EDT Tuesday (August 26) deadline. Although movement is expected to take place in this lineup over the season, it appears that undrafted rookie safety Shilo Sanders, despite his prowess, failed to make the initial cut.
"This game is a serious business, but it's also entertainment," Sanders had earlier told ESPN. "People have jobs, and they say, 'I'm not going to work today. I'm going to come out here and support the Bucs.' So the least I could do is make their experience enjoyable because they help make my experience enjoyable too."
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“Feel-good stories on cutdown day: the Buccaneers had three undrafted free agents — RB Josh Williams, OT Benjamin Chukwuma, and LB John Bullock — earn spots on their 53-man roster. Bullock was a former walk-on LB at Nebraska like Bucs GM Jason Licht,” NFL insider Adam Schefter wrote on social media.
Here are the three undrafted rookies who trailed ahead of Sanders this time around:
Josh Williams
Making a spot in the crowded Buccaneers’ is no easy feat, but Williams seems to have achieved this milestone. Despite already having some of the best backfields in the league, including names like Bucky Irving, Rachaad White, and Sean Tucker, Williams managed to find a spot.
Benjamin Chukwuma
{{/usCountry}}Making a spot in the crowded Buccaneers’ is no easy feat, but Williams seems to have achieved this milestone. Despite already having some of the best backfields in the league, including names like Bucky Irving, Rachaad White, and Sean Tucker, Williams managed to find a spot.
Benjamin Chukwuma
{{/usCountry}}Fresh from playing college ball for Georgia State, Chukwuma is a left-sided offensive tackle who will be decisive to the Buccaneers’ game as Tristan Whirfs tries to get better. Despite being placed at No. 2, he has an important role to play, especially until Whirfs’s return.
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John Bullock
Currently listed as the second-team left inside linebacker behind SirVocea Dennis, Bullock is a crucial addition to the Buccaneers’ linebacker room. Following a great camp and preseason period, fingers crossed the speed spills over into regular-season energy as well.
The Buccaneers are scheduled to face the Atlanta Falcons in their regular-season opener on Sunday (September 7).
Stuti Gupta contributed to this story