The Tampa Bay Buccaneers completed the second of three rounds of August roster cuts on Tuesday, waiving first-year tight end Bug Howard with an injury designation.
The Buccaneers had previously waived safety Troy Warner and released wide receiver Vyncint Smith on Sunday before placing outside linebacker Cam Gill and guard Aaron Stinnie on injured reserve on Tuesday. Those moves plus the waiver of Howard reduced the roster from 85 to 80 players, as mandated for all teams by the NFL by August 23. The first round of cuts, a week prior, had taken rosters from 90 down to 85 and the final cut to 53 is due by next Tuesday, August 30.
Howard was an in-camp addition to the roster, joining the team on July 29 after the team had waived/injured tight end Codey McElroy three days earlier. A converted receiver, Howard came to the Bucs after playing 10 games in the new USFL, catching 30 passes for 371 yards and four touchdowns for the Philadelphia Stars. He first arrived in the NFL in 2017 as an undrafted free agent with the Colts and later spent time with Cleveland, Denver and Buffalo. He also played with the Atlanta Legends of the AAF in 2019, which is when he switched from wide receiver to tight end.
Howard's departure leaves the Bucs five deep at the tight end position, which is led by veterans Cam Brate and Kyle Rudolph. The other three players in the group are all rookies, including fourth-round draft pick Cade Otton, sixth-rounder Ko Kieft and undrafted free agent JJ Howland.
