The Tampa Bay Buccaneers created an opening on the roster Tuesday and filled it on Wednesday before starting the week of practice.
Second-year offensive tackle Reid Fragel was promoted from the practice squad to the Buccaneers' 53-man roster on Wednesday, taking the place of running back Mike James, who was waived the day before.
The team also added two players to the 10-man practice squad in guard Antoine Everett and tight end Tevin Westbrook. One spot was created by Fragel's promotion, the other by the departure of defensive end Kourtnei Brown, who was signed by the Houston Texans. Players who are on a practice squad are still eligible to be signed by another team as long as they are being added to that team's 53-man roster. They must then remain on that roster for at least three weeks.
Fragel (6-8, 308) first joined the Buccaneers as a waiver claim from Atlanta a few days after the 2015 NFL Draft. He started Tampa Bay's last three preseason games at right tackle after an injury to Demar Dotson and actually made it to the initial 53-man roster after the final round of mandated cuts on September 5. However, Fragel was then waived the next day when the team claimed five new players off the wire, then signed to the practice squad.
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After playing his college ball at Ohio State, Fragel first entered the league as a seventh-round draft pick by the Cincinnati Bengals. He split his rookie season between the practice squad and active roster in Cincinnati, though he did not see any regular-season game action. Last year, Fragel was on the Falcons' practice squad for most of the season, operating in an offense run by Dirk Koetter, now the Buccaneers' offensive coordinator.
Everett (6-3, 325) came to the Buccaneers in May as an undrafted free agent out of McNeese State. After overcoming a foot injury suffered during the McNeese State Pro Day, Everett eventually saw action in Tampa Bay's first three preseason games before being waived on August 30.
The 6-5, 257-pound Westbrook played his college ball at the University of Florida, where he appeared in 40 games and caught 11 passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns. He arrived in Gainesville as a defensive end before switching to offense in his sophomore season. He signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in May and went to camp with the team before being waived on September 1. The Titans then signed Westbrook to their practice squad for the first two weeks of the season.
