We've officially reached the doldrums of the NFL offseason, where most of the transactional action has concluded and only a few loose threads remain. For the most part, attention turns toward offseason programs and what teams do inside of their own walls.
For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, one of the first moves of OTAs was to inform two players that they'd no longer be in the picture.
Buccaneers insider J.C. Allen passed along word that both Patrick Laird and Earnest Brown were being released. Laird was on the fringes of the running back rotation, having mostly spent his time in Tampa Bay on the practice squad.
He was activated toward the end of last season so that he could collect a roster bonus, something that shows how well-respected he was with the Bucs and how hard this cut had to have been to make.
#Bucs announce they have released RB Patrick Laird & have signed DL Earnest Brown. The 6’5, 300lb DL was drafted in 2021 in the 5th by the Rams & played in 12 games w/ 3 starts. He’s racked up 14 tackles, one for loss. Laird had been w/ the team since 22 all on the PS.
— JC Allen (@JCAllenNFL) May 22, 2024
Buccaneers will have to make more roster soon
These are just to first two dominios to fall, as the Bucs will spend the next three months assessing ways to make the roster even better than it already is. That'll mean addition by subtraction, but the fact that two notable names -- at least to fans -- are among the first cuts show just how painful this offseason might be.
It's already the start of a season that a few players need to ensure they use to make progress. Rachaad White leads that list, as he's someone who isn't on the roster bubble but is in a position to fully takeover as a new offensive star moving forward.
He put together a breakout season last year as a pass-catching threat, but White's effectiveness in the run game left a lot to be desired. To be fair, that's more a product of Tampa Bay not having a good rushing attack, and if White can turn things around in 2024 he's going to be in a perfect spot.
That's partly why Laird was seen as expendable. Tampa Bay drafted Bucky Irving out of Oregon to compliment White in the backfield, and re-signed Chase Edmonds earlier in the offseason. There's a chance the team brings in another free agent who finds himself on the wrong side of roster cuts elsewhere in the league, but also Sean Tucker is still around and could take the role that Laird had.
It's a deeper roster in Tampa Bay than some might realize, and it's going to make for an ultra-competitive offseason on the fringes.