Bucs Cut DB Prior To NFL Draft

The Bucs have made a roster move on the eve of the 2024 NFL Draft. Tampa Bay released reserve safety Richard LeCounte III.

The move comes at an interesting time, especially given the fact that the team is woefully thin at the safety position. In fact, the Bucs only have three safeties on their current roster.

In addition to All-Pro free safety Antoine Winfield Jr., Tampa Bay has veteran strong safety Jordan Whitehead, who was signed in free agency, and reserve Kaevon Merriweather, who was signed last year as an undrafted free agent.

LeCounte, who played collegiately at Georgia, was the team’s fourth-string safety last year and rarely saw playing time on defense, spending most of his few snaps on special teams.

Bucs Will Likely Draft A Safety For Added Depth

Head coach Todd Bowles is a big proponent of having defensive back depth and especially having versatile players who can fill multiple roles in the secondary. Tampa Bay’s defense played some of its best football in 2020 en route to a Super Bowl victory when the team had three safeties it could rely on in Antoine Winfield Jr., Jordan Whitehead, and Mike Edwards.

With two-thirds of that group intact once again, getting another player with a similar playstyle to Edwards could add a lot more upside to the room. The safety position is not the biggest need with both starting spots filled, but adding a talented young player to fill in and make plays in limited action would only expand Bowles’ creativity when it comes to calling plays on defense.

Tampa Bay has brought in two safeties for pre-draft Top 30 visits this month – Georgia’s Tykee Smith, who is a third-round prospect, and Air Force’s Trey Taylor, who is expected to be a Day 3 selection. Pewter Report has both players as Bucs Best Bets this year.

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