As the preseason is halfway over, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are still scrambling to get healthy at the defensive tackle position; today adding Elijah Qualls.
As the injuries continue to pile up at the defensive tackle position for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team has added another player at the position in Elijah Qualls. In order to combat the injuries at the defensive tackle position, the Buccaneers waived Shane Bowman, another defensive tackle added earlier this month who is sidelined with an ankle injury.
The Buccaneers are hoping to have Vita Vea back by week one and backup Jeremiah Ledbetter is also sidelined with a minor ailment. Currently heading into week one, the Buccaneers are set to start Beau Allen and William Gholston with new addition Ndamukong Suh as it stands today.
The new addition, Qualls, is a former sixth round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles back in 2017, and has a Super Bowl ring to his name from that season. During his rookie campaign with the Eagles, Qualls tallied three tackles and one hit on the quarterback in six games.
Last year Qualls was not on an active roster, but hopes to prove himself in the short time he has left in the preseason in Tampa Bay. A college teammate of Vea at the University of Washington, Qualls tallied 11.5 total tackles for loss and seven and a half sacks during his collegiate career; he recorded three sacks and five tackles for loss during his last season as a Husky.
With two weeks until the regular season, the Buccaneers are still scrambling to find depth at the defensive tackle position. While Qualls is more than likely a camp body to give the starters and second string defensive tackles some rest, he has a chance to compete at a thin position group for the Buccaneers.