- Brandon Magee gives the Bucs a sixth linebacker on the active roster and insurance against a possible Mason Foster absence
- The Bucs waived/injured CB Rashaan Melvin, who hasn't played since mid-August, to make room for Magee
- Magee's spot on the practice squad went to LB Ka'Lial Glaud, who played seven games for the team last year
Brandon Magee's first intersection with professional sports came in 2008, when he was drafted in the 29th round by MLB's Tampa Bay Rays. However, it's with the crosstown football team that Magee is being called up to the big leagues, six years later.
On Monday, the day after absorbing a number of new injuries in a 19-17 loss to the St. Louis Rams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers promoted Magee from their practice squad to the active roster. To clear a spot on the 53-man list, the Buccaneers waived/injured cornerback Rashaan Melvin. In addition, the team used the practice squad spot created by Magee's promotion to bring back second-year linebacker Ka'Lial Glaud.
Magee has obviously spent time as a baseball player – he played outfield at Arizona State and was also drafted by MLB teams on two other occasions – but right now he's also a promising linebacker who adds needed depth, especially in the wake of a shoulder injury that kept Mason Foster out for a good portion of Sunday's game. The Buccaneers started the season with only five linebackers on the 53-man roster, and all five saw a significant amount of playing time against the Rams. Head Coach Lovie Smith indicated on Monday that Foster would not have been cleared for practice if the Bucs had one scheduled for that day.
The Bucs first brought the 5-11, 225-poun Magee aboard just before training camp as a waiver claim from the Cleveland Browns. He first signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2013 but was released at the end of the preseason and claimed off waivers by the Browns. During two stints on the active roster sandwiched around a short stay on Cleveland's practice squad, he contributed five tackles.
Magee played both football and baseball at Arizona State, as an outside linebacker on the gridiron and an outfielder on the diamond. He played in 44 games during his Sun Devil football career, amassing 231 tackles, 10 sacks, 24.5 tackles for loss and three interceptions. He was also a part of two ASU baseball teams that played in the College World Series.
LB Brandon Magee previously played with the Cleveland Browns and originally came into the league with Dallas
The Buccaneers signed Glaud (6-2, 230) out of Rutgers last spring after he performed well on a tryout contract in the team's rookie camp. He landed on the practice squad to start his rookie season but eventually earned a promotion to the active roster after nine weeks. He appeared in seven games and contributed three tackles plus an additional stop on special teams.
Melvin, a former undrafted free agent out of Northern Illinois, has shown significant promise in two straight training camps but has been unable to avoid injuries. He has made the active roster to start the season in each of his two NFL campaigns but has yet to appear in an NFL game. This year, he missed the last two preseason contests and the first two weeks of the regular season due to an ankle injury.
