TAMPA — Linebacker Caden Fordham, the undrafted North Carolina State product who led all NFL players with four solo tackles in kick coverage during the preseason, is back with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the team signed him to its 17-man practice squad.
Fordham was one of three undrafted rookies to earn a spot on the Buccaneers’ initial 53-man roster when cuts were finalized Aug. 30, but the team waived him the following day to make room for cornerback Kevin Knowles, who was claimed off waivers. To clear a practice squad spot for Fordham, Tampa Bay waived first-year cornerback Roman Parodie.
The move keeps Fordham in the fold after a preseason in which he played all three games and recorded 10 tackles, two tackles for loss and a pass defensed on defense. His special teams production — those four solo tackles in kick coverage topped every player in the league — was central to his initial push onto the active roster.
Fordham could still see game-day action in the near term. Practice squad players can be elevated to the active roster up to three times during the regular season before requiring waivers exposure. The Buccaneers carry four off-ball linebackers on the 53-man roster, and one of them, Christian Rozeboom, was not practicing this week due to a leg injury. SirVocea Dennis only recently returned to practice after also missing time with an injury.
Fordham signed with Tampa Bay in May after ranking second in the nation with 143 tackles in his final season at N.C. State, where he earned third-team Associated Press All-America honors. He also posted 3.5 sacks, 10.0 tackles for loss, two interceptions, three passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery that season.
Parodie, who signed with the Buccaneers on Aug. 10, had recorded eight tackles, an interception and two passes defensed across three preseason games before being waived during league-wide roster cutdowns and then briefly added to the practice squad.
The Buccaneers open the regular season this week, when Fordham’s availability as a game-day elevation could be tested immediately given the team’s linebacker depth concerns.