It might not have taken long for a former Tampa Bay Buccaneers player to have found work elsewhere after getting jettisoned earlier last week.
Ahead of the Bucs big game in Green Bay, the team waived former third-round running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn. It was a sad ending to what once seemed like a promising career, especially considering the investment Tampa Bay made in him.
Vaughn never elevated himself above an RB3 role, though, getting first passed over by Rachaad White and the watching Chase Edmonds and Sean Tucker pass him on the depth chart at various points this season. Things seemed to come to a head before Week 1, when he briefly ghosted the team ahead of its matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.
He was routinely a healthy inactive on gameday and didn’t make much of the opportunities he was given, which led to the Bucs waiving him last Friday. It didn’t take long for him to potentially find another shot at proving his worth, though.
Patriots are giving Ke'Shawn Vaughn another shot after Bucs release
Less than a week after he was cut, Vaughn has reportedly found a home with Bill Belichick up in New England. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Vaughn is being added to the New England Patriots practice squad as a means of adding depth at running back.
The #Patriots are expected to sign former #Bucs RB Ke'Shawn Vaughn to their practice squad, sources said. Added depth from the former third-rounder.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 18, 2023
Vaughn was averaging less than two yards per carry with the Bucs, and the Patriots are in the gutter unlike we’ve ever seen them under Belichick. It’s not exactly a primo position for Vaughn, but it’s better than nothing and might be a low-risk way to try and shake off whatever rust was bogging him down in Tampa Bay.
The Patriots have leaned more and more on Ezekiel Elliott, who has looked more impressive than some expected he would after getting released by Dallas during the offseason. He hasn’t necessarily seen a resurgence but he might have put in enough work to have earned a bigger role elsewhere in 2024.
Vaughn might be hoping for the same, although there are only three games left in the season and he’s not even on the active roster. It was also a similar thing to what he was hoping to do with the Bucs, as it was clear he wasn’t factoring into the long-term plans but could have used this year to shine and earn a deal in the offseason.
Nothing about the Bucs run game has been impressive, so Vaughn’s struggles could be attributed to that. We’re about to find out one way or another now that he’s found work after losing his role in Tampa Bay.