Troy Nolan is joining his fifth NFL training camp already in progress. Fortunately, Nolan knows a little about making a good first impression.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Nolan, an unrestricted free agent who has spent most of his NFL career with the Houston Texans, on Monday as they began the second week of their 2013 training camp. To make room for Nolan on the 90-man roster, the Buccaneers waived guard Jeff Olson, who had joined the team on Saturday.
The team also announced on Monday that defensive end Markus White has been removed from the active/physically unable to perform list and is now cleared to practice.
Nolan entered the league as a seventh-round draft pick of the Texans out of Arizona State in 2009, but he landed on injured reserve as a rookie due to a wrist injury. When he finally made his NFL regular-season debut in 2010, he did so in style, helping Houston beat the Oakland Raiders, 31-24, by intercepting two passes, including one that ended the Raiders' last possession with less than two minutes to play
Nolan played in all 16 games and made three starts during the 2010 season contributing 49 tackles, three interceptions, five passes defensed and one sack, all single-season career bests. He played in another 14 games with three starts for Houston in 2011, posting another 35 tackles and four passes defensed, then was released at the end of the Texans' 2012 preseason. The Miami Dolphins immediately claimed Nolan off waivers but subsequently let the third-year player go three weeks into the regular season. Nolan later had stints with his old Texans squad as well as the Chicago Bears last fall, then became a free agent in March.
Rosters get tweaked frequently during training camp, and Monday's moves may have been necessary to add a little depth at the back of the secondary. First-year safety Nick Saenz was waived on Saturday and second-year safety Ahmad Black sustained an ankle injury at the end of Saturday's Night Practice at Raymond James Stadium. Black's injury is not considered significant but he could miss several days of practice.
