TAMPA — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers moved quickly to restock their practice squad with 16 signings, headlined by veteran quarterback Easton Stick and four defensive backs meant to address a thin secondary after the team made 38 roster moves to reach the NFL-mandated limit of 53 players.
Stick, a fifth-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Chargers out of North Dakota State in 2019, brings six seasons of NFL experience to Tampa Bay. He appeared in six games with four starts across his career, completing 111 of 174 passes (63.8%) for 1,129 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and an 85.7 passer rating. The Indianapolis Colts terminated him as a vested veteran, making him immediately available. Stick spent 2025 with the Atlanta Falcons, where he worked with current Buccaneers coaches Zac Robinson and T.J. Yates before signing with Indianapolis in June.
Fifteen of the 16 players signed had been cut from Tampa Bay’s roster the previous day. The Bucs have 17 practice squad spots available thanks to the International Pathway Player exemption carried by rookie tackle Paul Rubelt, and the team is expected to fill the final spot before returning to the practice field.
The secondary depth was the most pressing concern. Tampa Bay kept only eight total defensive backs on the active roster — below the typical nine or 10 corners and safeties — and addressed the gap by re-signing cornerback Roman Parodie and safeties Ifeatu Melifonwu, J.J. Roberts and Rashad Wisdom. All four could contribute on game days through the practice squad elevation option, which allows each team to elevate up to two players per game and permits each individual player to be elevated three times during the regular season. In the postseason, individual players can be elevated an unlimited number of times.
Six of the 16 players were undrafted rookies signed after the draft in May: wide receivers Dean Patterson IV and Eric Rivers Jr., outside linebacker Yasir Holmes, guard Henry Lutovsky, Rubelt and linebacker Javin Wright. Third-year tight end Devin Culp, drafted in the seventh round in 2024, was waived after the Bucs chose to keep rookie Bauer Sharp as their fourth tight end. Culp has played in 18 regular season games across two seasons.
The full practice squad also includes wide receiver Garrett Greene, defensive lineman Jayson Jones, center Ben Scott and running back Josh Williams. Williams made the active roster as an undrafted rookie last year but saw action in only three games. Jones spent all of last season on the practice squad before landing on practice squad injured reserve from Week Five on.
The Buccaneers are expected to finalize their 17th practice squad signing before the team returns to practice.