As the dust settles on another year of the NFL Draft, it's hard to feel bad about what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did. They took a big swing in the first-round by using the No. 19 pick on Emeka Egbuka, doubled up on top cornerback talent on Day 2, and finished things off by adding some edge rush help and a speedy Tutu Atwell clone.
It's more than just the names we hear called on stage that make up the completed draft class each year, though.
Smart teams mine for gold after the draft is over in the mad-dash gold rush to sign undrafted free agents. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are no strangers to this, having put together incredible UDFA classes over the last few years.
In the aftermath of the Tom Brady era, the Bucs were forced to take their salary cap medicine to fund multiple runs at a Super Bowl. That meant the team needed to find creative ways to replenish the roster, which is exactly what Tampa Bay did by adding UDFAs like Christian Izien, Keavon Merriweather, Kameron Johnson, and Sean Tucker, who ended up turning into important pieces over the next few seasons.
Tucker might end up being the best of the bunch, having gone from training camp darling in 2023 to RB3 heading into next season. His rise is just the latest example of why teams try to use the UDFA window right after the draft to try and identify diamonds in the rough.
One of the key architects of the BUcs being able to build impressive UDFA classes is gone, with John Spytek now the general manager of the Las Vegas Raiders. The core of Tampa's talent evaluators are still in the building, though, and they went to work right away adding some high-upside players.
Running list of Tampa Bay Buccaneers undrafted free agent signings (2025)
Here's a list of the undrafted free agents Tampa Bay signed this year:
- Shilo Sanders, S/Colorado
- Desmond Watson, DT/Florida
- John Bullock, LB/Nebraska
- Jake Majors, C/Texas
- Anthony Landphere, TE/Memphis
- Connor Bazelak, QB/ Bowling Green
- Will Sheppard, WR/Colorado
- Ben Scott, C/Nebraska
- Ben Chukwuma, OT/Georgia State
- JJ Roberts, S/Marshall
- Josh Williams, RB/LSU
- Garrett Greene, WR/West Virginia
- Roman Parodie, CB/Ohio
- Ryan Coe, K/Cal
- Mason Narcisse, DE/Louisiana
One of the notable names the Bucs added was Desmond Watson, the 464-pound defensive tackle from Florida who is an absolute beast. It seems like he'll have a legit shot to make the roster too, as he's getting a $20,000 deal with $50,000 guaranteed from Tampa Bay.
He's known as the 'Tush Push Terminator' which is amazing considering the Bucs have already stopped that play with Vita Vea. The only difference is that the 347-pound Vea now has someone 100-pounds heavier than him ready to help stop it.
Another name to keep an eye on is the other Sanders from Colorado. Tampa Bay signed safety Shilo Sanders to a contract after the draft ended, which is also a move that could end up carrying over into the season. We've seen the Bucs have success with these UDFA signings in the past and both Watson and Sanders feel like bubble guys who can fight their way on the 53-man roster before the season starts.
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