James Rogers and Teryl White followed similar paths to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 2012 training camp.
Rogers, a cornerback out of the University of Michigan, and White, a defensive tackle from North Carolina Central, signed with the Buccaneers on Wednesday morning, in time to join the last full-scale practice of the week. There were two available spots on the 90-man camp roster, as cornerback Derrick Roberson was released and defensive end Jayme Mitchell has left the team.
Both Rogers and White were undrafted free agent signees last year, picked up by the Denver Broncos and St. Louis Rams, respectively, during the July pre-camp roster frenzy that followed the ratification of the new collective bargaining agreement. Both experienced NFL training camps as rookies before briefly playing in a different football league. And both are now getting a second shot to make it in the NFL.
The 6-1, 188-pound Rogers went to Denver just before the start of camp but was waived in early August. In the fall, he signed on with the Kansas City Command of the Arena Football League and remained with the team through this summer. At Michigan, Rogers played in 46 games over four seasons, starting 13 times at cornerback and twice at receiver. He began his college career on defense before switching to wideout in the spring of 2008 and eventually going back to cornerback midway through the 2009 season. Overall, he finished his career with 46 tackles, three interceptions and four passes defensed and also caught three passes for 64 yards.
White (6-5, 278) had a productive four-year career at North Carolina Central, racking up 158 tackles and 8.5 sacks. He also had a team-leading 11 stops for loss in both his sophomore and junior seasons, blocked a kick as a senior and contributed at least 2.5 sacks in each of his last three years with the Eagles. White started his NFL career in St. Louis last summer but was eventually waived midway through camp and picked up by the Seahawks. The Seahawks eventually released him shortly before the start of the regular season, and he then signed on with the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League in November.
Roberson signed with the Buccaneers for a second time this past May. He had previously been with the team in 2009 and into training camp the following summer, appearing in six regular season games and pitching in with three tackles and three passes defensed. Roberson played a portion of the 2010 season, between his two Buccaneer stints, with the Cleveland Browns and has also spent time with Baltimore, Minnesota and Houston.
Mitchell also played for the Vikings and Browns before arriving in Tampa. He signed with the Buccaneers on June 5.
