Buccaneers place Kevin Minter on IR, promote tight end from practice squad

The Buccaneers shook up their roster after Tampa Bay sent veteran linebacker Kevin Minter to the injured reserve.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a trio of roster moves ahead of their Week 15 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.

The Bucs placed linebacker Kevin Minter on injured reserve. Minter was in his second stint with Tampa Bay this season. He earned a sack against the Carolina Panthers in Week 13. He played well over the past couple of weeks as injuries continued to hit the linebacking corps.

Minter ended his season with 10 tackles and a sack. For a midseason pickup, Minter stood out over the past couple of weeks. With Tampa Bay so thin at linebacker, he looked comfortable in defensive coordinator Mark Duffner’s system.

Injuries at linebacker have hampered the Bucs defense for the entire season, particularly at middle linebacker. Kwon Alexander and rookie Jack Cichy both ended up on the injured reserve. With Minter also out for the year Adarius Taylor will have to shoulder even more of the load.

Taylor had one of his best performances as a Buccaneer last week. He picked off Drew Brees and recorded seven tackles.

The Bucs added linebacking depth to their practice squad by signing Emmanuel Smith. He was an undrafted free agent and spent time with the Atlanta Falcons in the preseason.

Tampa Bay also promoted a rookie tight end, Tanner Hudson to the active roster. The Bucs liked Hudson enough to keep him on their practice squad despite plenty of talent at tight end.

It’s nice to see Tampa Bay reward a young player. Hopefully, he will be able to suit up down the stretch and earn snaps on special teams.

The tight end position still has solid contributors, despite the loss of O.J. Howard. Cameron Brate, Alan Cross and Anthony Auclair are all ahead of him on the depth chart, so he may have trouble getting much playing time.