DE Jarriett Buie, a rookie out of nearby USF, was one of four players trimmed from the roster on Saturday
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have until Tuesday, September 1, to reduce their roster from 80 men to 75, as mandated from the NFL. After getting an early start on Saturday, the Buccaneers will need to make just one more move in the next three days.
On Saturday, the Buccaneers released four players: defensive end Jarriett Buie, wide receiver Kelly Campbell, defensive back DeAngelo Willingham and guard Julius Wilson. Campbell, who has struggled with a quad injury since traing camp began, was waived/injured.
Campbell is the only one of the four who has regular-season NFL experience. Buie and Willingham were undrafted rookies signed by the Buccaneers this spring and Wilson has spent most of his two pro seasons on the practice squads in Miami and Tampa Bay.
The moves reduce the Bucs' roster to 76 players; they must be down to 75 by Tuesday and then to 53 by Saturday, September 5, after the final preseason contest. By releasing those four players early, the Bucs ensured that they won't have to prepare for a game in which they will obviously not participate.
All four players cut on Saturday, though Campbell appeared in just one game due to his leg ailment. Campbell caught two passes for 19 yards; Willingham recorded seven tackles; Buie had two tackles, one of them for a loss; and Wilson saw reserve time on the offensive line.
The Buccaneers signed Campbell on February 20, after the former Vikings receiver had a successful season with the Edminton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. Campbell played three seasons in Minnesota (2002-04), appearing in 37 games with 11 starts. He caught 57 passes for 1,062 yards and eight touchdowns and emerged as a legitimate deep threat, with an average of 18.6 yards per grab that peaked at 20.9 in 2003.
Willingham and Buie were both signed after the 2009 draft, Willingham immediately after the seven rounds were over and Buie after he impressed on a tryout contract at the Bucs' rookie camp. Buie played his college football at the nearby University of South Florida.
Wilson was on the Buccaneers' practice squad all of last season after signing with the team on September 3, 2008. He spent the 2007 campaign in Miami, split between the practice squad and the active roster, before going to training camp with the St. Louis Rams in 2008.
