As a rookie with the Jacksonville Jaguars last season, linebacker Jacob Cutrera was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster in October. A year later, Cutrera is getting a similar promotion, though this time it involves a small relocation downstate.
On Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced that they have signed Cutrera off Jacksonville's practice squad and to their own 53-man roster. The Buccaneers had a roster spot open after placing safety Devin Holland on injured reserve on Monday.
Any player on an NFL practice squad has the right at any time to terminate his contract and sign with another team, as long as he is being signed to the active roster by the new team. That player must then remain on his new club's active roster for at least three weeks.
The 6-3, 238-pound Cutrera first entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in Jacksonville in 2010, following a standout four-year collegiate career at Louisiana State. He actually shuttled between the Jaguars' active roster and practice squad on several occasions during his rookie campaign before ending up on injured reserve due to a concussion. This season, he has been on Jacksonville's practice squad since being waived on the final roster cutdown in early September.
Cutrera made the Jaguars' active roster to begin the 2010 season and appeared in one game before being waived in mid-September. He returned to the roster for three more weeks in September and October; moved to the practice squad for one week and then once again was signed to the 53-man roster. In all Cutrera appeared in eight games in 2010 and contributed four tackles on defense.
The athletic linebacker saw most of his action on special teams as a rookie and was one of the Jaguars' most productive players on kickoff and punt coverage. He racked up six special teams tackles during his eight games after leading the team with four such stops in the preseason. He could provide immediate help to a Buccaneers' special teams group that was without several core players last Sunday in San Francisco, including Holland, whose own rookie season is now over.
Tampa Bay's linebacking corps was also left a little thin in San Francisco, with Quincy Black (ankle) and Zac Diles (hamstring) both out due to injury. Dekoda Watson took over Black's starting spot on the strong side, leaving the team with just one active LB reserve, Adam Hayward.
At LSU, Cutrera played in 49 games and made six starts. He recorded 172 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, six quarterbacks pressures and three passes defensed. As a senior he racked up a career-best 81 tackles along with 6.5 tackles for loss and one sack. Cutrera hails from Lafayette, Louisiana.
