The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed two players to their practice squad on Monday, and neither one will need a tour of the building.
The new additions to the Buccaneers' 16-man practice squad are wide receiver Tyler Johnson and cornerback Ryan Smith, both of whom originally entered the league as Tampa Bay draft picks. The Bucs selected Smith out of North Carolina Central in the fourth round of the 2016 draft and he spent his first five seasons in Tampa before signing with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021. Johnson came aboard as a fifth-round pick out of Minnesota in 2020 and was with the Bucs until he was waived in this year's final roster cutdown.
The Buccaneers also officially placed outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett on injured reserve on Monday. Barrett suffered a torn Achilles tendon in last Thursday's game against the Baltimore Ravens, and Head Coach Todd Bowles confirmed the next day that the injury was season-ending.
Smith (5-11, 189) played in 73 games with 17 starts over his first five seasons in Tampa and developed into one of the team's best special teams players. He tallied 19 kick-coverage tackles and was particularly adept at downing punts inside the five-yard line. On defense, Smith recorded 122 tackles, one interception, 12 passes defensed, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Smith signed with the Chargers as an unrestricted free agent on a one-year deal in March of 2021. He appeared in just four games with one start for Los Angeles thanks to two separate stints on injured reserve. This season, he spent a month on the Indianapolis Colts' practice squad before being waived last week.
Johnson (6-1, 206) played in 31 games with six starts for the Buccaneers over the past two seasons. He recorded 48 catches for 529 yards and two touchdowns, and added seven receptions for 76 yards in the playoffs. His postseason contributions included a spinning 15-yard catch on third-and-11 that proved critical to the Bucs' game-winning field goal drive in the Divisional Round game at New Orleans.
Johnson was waived by the Buccaneers on August 30 and claimed the following day by the Houston Texans. He appeared in two games for Houston but did not record a reception.
The Buccaneers had two open spots on the practice squad after promoting rookie safety Nolan Turner last week and placing cornerback Anthony Chesley on the practice squad/injured list.
