One day after placing starting defensive tackle and team captain Clinton McDonald on injured reserve, the Buccaneers have re-signed defensive end Lawrence Sidbury, Jr. Sidbury went to training camp with the team and played in all four preseason games but was released during the final round of roster cuts.
The Buccaneers also added two new defensive players to the practice squad in linebacker Quayshawn Nealy and defensive end Ronald Powell. The team had one open spot on that 10-man squad after Saturday's promotion of defensive end Josh Shirley to the active roster, and they created another with the release of linebacker Julian Stanford.
Sidbury first joined the Buccaneers last December after spending four seasons (2009-12) with the Atlanta Falcons. He signed with the Colts in 2013 upon becoming an unrestricted free agent but spent his only season in Indianapolis on injured reserve. Sidbury went to training camp with the Houston in 2014 but was released before the season and did not appear on an NFL roster until the Bucs signed him in Week 16. He appeared in one game for the Buccaneers, contributing one tackle. During the 2015 preseason Sidbury contributed five tackles, one quarterback pressure, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
While the Buccaneers have replaced a defensive tackle with a defensive end on the roster, they have several players – primarily William Gholston, George Johnson and Henry Melton – who are versatile enough to play inside or outside. In addition, both Gholston and Jacquies Smith, the team's two starting ends, suffered injuries in Sunday's game in Atlanta and their status is as yet unclear.
Behind-the-scenes photos of the Buccaneers vs. Falcons game at the Georgia Dome on November 1st.
Powell (6-3, 237) was a fifth-round pick by the Saints out of the University of Florida in 2014. He appeared in 14 games as a rookie but was waived with an injury settlement near the end of the preseason this summer. At Florida, Powell played three seasons from 2010-13, missing the 2012 campaign due to a knee injury but returning in 2013 to lead the Gators with 4.0 sacks and eight quarterback hurries. Overall, he appeared in 36 collegiate games with 21 starts and recorded 84 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and 11.0 sacks.
Nealy (6-1, 235) signed with Seattle as an undrafted rookie in May and went to camp with the Seahawks before being waived on Sept. 1. He played linebacker at Georgia Tech and was a second-team All-ACC choice as a senior after racking up 92 tackles. During his four-year career at Tech, Nealy recorded eight interceptions and six fumble recoveries and scored four defensive touchdowns.
