Buccaneers start final cuts for 53-man roster with a surprise player

The Buccaneers have cut Antonio Hamilton.

It looked like the Buccaneers and Antonio Hamilton were a perfect fit. Tampa needed a veteran corner to serve a special teams role to replace Ryan Smith, and Hamilton has the experience to excel in this area.

Hamilton played well in the preseason and looked like a lock to make the final roster, yet the Buccaneers chose to move on today, according to Adam Schefter on Twitter.

Of all the players on the bubble and those who analysts were unsure about, Hamilton comes as the biggest surprise by far for the Bucs. He has done almost everything to the letter when asked, and his experience at the highest level is hard to overlook, but this was still not enough to remain on the roster.

This is likely due to one of several reasons, but the most likely seems to be the emergence of Dee Delaney.

Delaney has bounced around NFL practice squads for the majority of his career, but he has been a consistent force with the Buccaneers, and he may be on the verge of making his first active NFL roster.

From good defense in coverage to great plays on special teams, Delaney has been the obvious choice as a piece for the roster, but so too has Antonio Hamilton, which is why his departure comes as such a surprise.

Todd Bowles and Bruce Arians must have a new idea for their defense that could run counter to the way some fans see the roster construction process, but one way or another, the Buccaneers will need another corner to step up in the absence of Hamilton.

This is undoubtedly the first of several cuts that inevitably come as a surprise before the start of a much-anticipated season.

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