Tampa Bay Buccaneers cut defensive tackle, add wide receiver
By Cory Kinnan
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made two corresponding moves to their roster, cutting a defensive lineman and adding an undrafted free agent receiver.
Yesterday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a sequence of moves involving their roster. Seventh round pick of the Buccaneers back in 2017, Stevie Tu’ikolovatu has been released by the team. In addition, Tampa Bay has added wide receiver Xavier Ubosi.
In two seasons with the Buccaneers, Tu’ikolovatu has yet to see the field due to injuries, and e will not get a third year to prove his worth. He now enters waivers where it would seem unlikely for him to be claimed by another of the 31 teams.
On his way to Tampa Bay to join the Buccaneers, Ubosi went undrafted in last month’s draft. He was then signed by the New England Patriots before being released from the defending Super Bowl champs.
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During his senior campaign at University of Alabama Birmingham in 2018, Ubosi was quite the deep threat, tallying 837 yards and eight scores on just 35 catches. This gave Ubosi an average of 23 yards per reception last season.
His most impressive stat line comes from UAB’s bowl game against Northern Illinois, where Ubosi posted gaudy numbers. He finished the Boca Roton Bowl last season with seven catches for 227 yards and three touchdowns for the Dragons.
While Ubosi did not receive an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine throughout the pre-draft process, he did test as a good athlete at his pro day. Ubosi ran a 4.58 second 40 yard dash, and while he posted a subpar vertical jump at 33.5 inches, he jumped off the charts with a 10’5 foot broad jump.
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Ubosi remains a long shot to make the final 53 man roster in Tampa Bay, but luckily for him, he joins a position with thin depth behind the first three wide receivers on the Buccaneers’ roster. He will have camp to compete (granted he makes it to/through camp), and may land one of the last spots on the roster.