TAMPA — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed sixth-year veteran safety Ifeatu Melifonwu and rookie defensive lineman Travis Shaw as training camp opened, moves that address immediate depth concerns after veteran Vita Vea sustained an injury during the team’s conditioning test Thursday.
Melifonwu, most recently of the Miami Dolphins, brings 53 games and 22 starts of NFL experience to a safety room that lost a body Tuesday when the Bucs waived rookie Ja’Qurious Conley. The 6-3, 210-pound defensive back has produced 125 tackles, three interceptions, 14 passes defensed, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, 5.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss across four seasons with the Detroit Lions and one with Miami.
The Lions drafted Melifonwu in the third round (101st overall) in 2021 out of Syracuse, where he appeared in 29 games and recorded 88 tackles, 1.0 sack, three interceptions and 26 passes defensed. He signed with the Dolphins last March as an unrestricted free agent and was productive in his lone season there, playing in 16 games with eight starts and posting a career-high 53 tackles along with an interception and a sack.
Melifonwu’s most complete season came in 2023 with Detroit, when he played in all 17 games, started eight and tallied 33 tackles, two interceptions, eight passes defensed and 3.0 sacks. He also appeared in and started four postseason contests with the Lions that year, recording 18 tackles and 2.0 sacks.
Shaw’s signing fills the roster spot created by the corresponding waiver of first-year defensive lineman Haggai Ndubuisi, who had been signed in April and was placed on the Bucs’ active/PUP list Tuesday. Shaw (6-5, 334) played his college ball at North Carolina from 2022 to 2024 and at Texas in 2025, appearing in 50 games and recording 68 tackles and two fumble recoveries. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the New England Patriots this spring before being waived July 17.
The defensive line depth is particularly relevant with Vea sidelined. The Bucs’ 91-man roster will continue to take shape through training camp practices at the team’s Tampa facility.