Tampa Bay Buccaneers Continue to Alter Camp Roster, Make Cuts and Signings After Rookie Mini-Camp

Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

The recent rookie mini-camp was a chance for Coach Greg Schiano and his staff to evaluate more than 70 players to see who is worthy to break camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this summer, and that means there will be additions and subtractions as we proceed over the long offseason. The mini-camp was successful for the Buccaneers, as it yielded some players who were deemed good enough to compete for a roster spot in training camp, but that also means other players must be let go to stay under the roster limit. Let’s start with the good news…

The Buccaneers have added the following tryout players to the roster following the rookie tryouts:

• WR Jheranie Boyd, North Carolina
• T Jace Daniels, Northern Michigan
• WR Chris Denton, Mount Union
• LB Ka’lial Glaud, Rutgers
• DT Andre Neblett, Temple

Dec 26, 2011; Shreveport, LA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels wide receiver Jheranie Boyd (87) celebrates scoring a touchdown during the game against the Missouri Tigers in the Independence Bowl at Independence Stadium. Missouri won 41-24. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Jheranie Boyd is an athletically gifted wide receiver who struggled with injury as a senior in college, which kept him out of the Tarheel’s lineup for most of the season, and he failed to make an impression to boost his draft stock. The 6 foot 1 inch tall wideout with a 42 inch vertical leap and 4.4 second forty yard dash speed never put up great production numbers at UNC, but when he got his hands on the football, it often meant he was on his way to the end zone. He never had more than 14 receptions in a season, but had 13 touchdowns on his 44 career catches and averaged over 20 yards per catch as a sophomore and junior. He’s a big play guy who fits the offense, and must prove he’s healthy and reliable to make the roster against fierce competition.

Daniels is a good-sized tackle from a Division II school that was never expected to be drafted. He’s not too slow, not too fast, not particularly strong in the weight room, but obviously impressed enough to get an offseason contract. There is an open job at backup tackle, and Daniels could be a dark horse for the job.

Denton is an extremely exciting prospect who returned punts at a record-setting pace in college. He brought back five punts for scores in 2012, and was named a Division III All-American as a return man, while still being a productive receiver in Mount Union’s insanely productive passing attack which has produced multiple NFL players in recent years. Denton doesn’t have strong track speed, but on the field he is elusive and quick. He does fumble too often, but his playmaking ability made him too attractive to pass up on for the Buccaneers.

The Rutgers connection for Greg Schiano produced an offseason contract for Ka’lial Glaud, a linebacker who also played defensive end in college, but lacks the size to line up on the line in the pros. Weighing in at 230 pounds, and playing with a combination of strength and athleticism, he may be a better fit for the SAM linebacker position than many of the current players on the roster, but also lacks the college production to merit immediate consideration for a starting job. He will have a chance to prove himself during training camp, and because he’s somewhat of a known quantity for Coach Schiano, he may have a leg up on the competition when competing for a roster spot at SAM linebacker.

Andre Neblett is the only non-rookie of the bunch, and has spent the last three seasons in Carolina where he logged 40 tackles and three sacks for the Panthers. He started 7 games during that time, but went unsigned during the free agent frenzy but earned a job for training camp season by working out with the Bucs. The New Jersey native has experience as a nose tackle, and can likely compete to make the roster as a backup to Akeem Spence and Gary Gibson.

In order to make room for these five new players, the Buccaneers let go of defensive tackle Richard Clebert, wide receiver D.J. Monroe, running back Akeem Shavers, guard Roger Allen, and defensive end George Selvie. Selvie and Clebert were added earlier this offseason, and were apparently made unnecessary by the additions made so far. Monroe and Shavers were both signed as undrafted free agents but didn’t stand out enough to make the camp roster. Allen started 2012 on the Buccaneers’ practice squad, and despite all the injuries at guard, never elevated himself past back-up status, earning no more than four appearances.