Even though the start of the regular season is just a week away, rosters are still being tinkered with as teams try to get everything right. For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the tweaking seems to be done, as the Bucs appear happy with the 53-man roster they'll be carrying into the season.
The practice squad, however, has been a little more dramatic.
Tampa Bay finalized that part of the roster earlier in the week, but some familiar names will be notably missing. Three players have been signed away between being waived by the team and potentially getting added to the practice squad, and the Carolina Panthers are to blame.
Keenan Isaac was claimed by the Panthers almost as soon as he was waived, and head coach Dave Canales has added two more former Buccaneers players to his roster in Carolina.
Dave Canales poaches John Wolford and Brandon Walton from Buccaneers
Isaac was a loss in that the Bucs hoped he'd clear waivers and get added to the practice squad. That's where he played last year and it eventually led to an elevation to the 53-man roster in the middle of the season.
John Wolford also spent a large chunk of the season on Tampa Bay's active roster, but he'll be a little further north this year. Carolina signed him to its practice squad, reuniting him with Canales and giving the Panthers even more quarterback depth.
Panthers are signing former Wake Forest and Rams QB John Wolford to the practice squad, per league source.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) August 30, 2024
The 28-year-old Wolford was with Dave Canales last yr in Tampa Bay. Panthers likely will keep two QBs on p. squad, with Jack Plummer as the developmental guy.
He follows Brandon Walton to Carolina, who was also signed with the Panthers after the Bucs decided not to add him to the 53-man roster.
Wolford's time in Tampa Bay appeared to be at an end regardless of Canales' interest. The Bucs signed Michael Pratt after the Green Bay Packers inexplicably cut him loose in favor of the vastly inferior Sean Clifford.
This is less about Wolford finding work -- which is good -- and more about how Canales can't seem to quit the Buccaneers. He bolted after just one season in Tampa Bay, and no one can really blame him since he went from a position coach to a head coach in just over a calendar year.
His stint in Tampa Bay wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything that worried Bucs fans when he left. Liam Coen has already seemingly unlocked some new levels to the offense, and Canales now has a shot that few coaches get in their careers.
Wolford has earned his stripes as a journeyman quarterback and should fit in perfectly with the Panthers. He isn't expected to be on the active roster, but he'll serve a similar purpose with Bryce Young as he did with Baker Mayfield in being an adult in the room to help with development.
Canales saw success with that tandem last season and the hope is that the same will happen with Young.
The real question is how many more former players will Canales add to the Carolina Buccaneers before he runs out of roster spots?
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