Tampa Bay Buccaneers Announce Roster Moves and Injuries Ahead of Roster Cut Downs

Dec 16, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive back Anthony Gaitor (26) tries to pick off a pass intended for New Orleans Saints wide receiver Lance Moore (16) during second quarter of their game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony Gaitor’s torn ACL, Michael Smith’s foot ligament injury, and the release of Derek Hagan, Spence Larsen, and Carlton Mitchell highlighted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers first efforts to reduce the size of their roster to comply with the 75-man limit that will be enforced on Tuesday.

The news of Gaitor’s ACL was released on Twitter, along with the news about Smith’s foot. Here is the original tweet:

And here are the Buccaneers announcing the players who have been let go via Twitter.

Many of these players are not surprises, but Derek Hagan’s release is definitely a bit of a surprise, as he was playing fairly well at wide receiver. This will increase the chances of Chris Owusu and Eric Page making the final roster for the Buccaneers. The release of Larsen either signals an imminent return to health for Erik Lorig, or confidence that the tight ends can play the fullback role in a two-back backfield.

The Buccaneers did make an addition along with the subtractions, adding a tight end with a very familiar name.

Shanahan is a former basketball player who has good size and athleticism, and may figure into the battle for the final roster spot at tight end. He is a converted wide receiver who is too slow to be a full time wideout in the NFL, but still can pose some problems against the right matchup.

There is still more work to be done to get the roster where it needs to be, so we’ll let you know as soon as we learn of more releases or injuries that impact the Buccaneers’ quest to find the perfect 53-man roster.