Buccaneers: Riley Bullough signed to practice squad

According to a report, the underdog story of linebacker Riley Bullough will live on with the Buccaneers.

Despite being waived by the Buccaneers, linebacker Riley Bullough’s time with the team is not over yet. ESPN’s Jenna Laine reported on Sunday that the Buccaneers have signed the undrafted free agent out of Michigan state to their practice squad.

The specifics of Bullough’s deal aren’t available, but compensation for practice squad is a minimum of 7,200$ per week, and 122,400$ for the entire season. Depending on how badly the Bucs wanted the long-haired linebacker, it could be even more. Bullough will join nine other players on the Buccaneer practice squad, and could be brought up in the event of an injury to Kwon Alexander or any of the other key linebackers.

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Affectionately known as Joe Dirt for his signature hair style, Bullough quickly became a star on HBO’s Hard Knocks. His heart, grittiness, and underdog narrative became one of the key story lines on the show from the very first episode.

Early on in training camp Bullough was praised for his leadership ability and mental grasp of the defense, but as preseason and camp wore on it became clear that he would struggle to overcome his movement limitations as an athlete. On the final drive of the Buccaneers third preseason game Bullough gave up a critical catch deep down the field that may have been the straw that broke the camels back for the Buccaneer coaches. Still, you could tell that Mike Smith and company were rooting for him to succeed and this move indicates that they have some long term hope for him.

Next: Schrager names Alexander as breakout candidate

In four games this preseason, Riley Bullough totaled eight solo tackles, eleven total tackles, and no interceptions or sacks. The decision to originally waive Bullough was due mostly in part to his lack of upside as a defender in coverage, but the Buccaneers believe he has enough raw talent to be worth stashing on the practice squad.