TAMPA - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers activated safety Ifeatu Melifonwu from the practice squad Saturday, making him eligible for Sunday’s 2026 home opener against the Cleveland Browns, with starting safety Miles Killebrew listed as questionable due to the NFL’s concussion protocol.
The elevation is Melifonwu’s second of the young season, after he also played in the season opener at Cincinnati the previous Sunday. It brings Tampa Bay’s game-day roster to 54 players for the Browns matchup, with the team permitted to keep 48 active and naming six inactives prior to kickoff.
Killebrew’s status adds urgency to the move. The Buccaneers kept only three safeties on their 53-man roster to open the season, and Killebrew - described by the team as a special teams ace - is uncertain to play, leaving the depth chart thin at the position.
Melifonwu, who was signed at the start of training camp after spending last season with the Miami Dolphins, appeared in 16 games with eight starts for Miami. He played in all three Buccaneers preseason games and started two, recording five tackles, one tackle for loss and a pass defensed before being released in the leaguewide roster cutdown and re-signed to the practice squad the following day.
In five NFL seasons - the first four with Detroit - Melifonwu has appeared in 53 games with 22 starts, accumulating 125 tackles, 5.5 sacks, three interceptions and 14 passes defensed. In last week’s season opener, he logged 15 snaps on special teams and was not used on defense.
Under NFL rules introduced as part of the 2020 collective bargaining agreement, teams may elevate up to two practice squad players per game, with each player eligible for up to three regular-season elevations and an unlimited number of postseason elevations. Players automatically revert to the practice squad after each game without passing through waivers. Melifonwu has one elevation remaining for the regular season after Sunday’s game.
Kickoff for the Buccaneers’ home opener against Cleveland is Sunday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.