Buccaneers Waive Two to Meet 85-Man Roster Limit

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got their roster down to the 85-man limit over an hour before the 4 P.M. Tuesday deadline, waiving wide receiver John Franklin III (failed physical) and offensive lineman Donell Stanley (injured). 

Neither Franklin nor Stanley suited up for Tampa Bay in its preseason opener against Cincinnati this past Saturday.

These moves come after Tampa Bay waived cornerback Cameron Kinley, wide receiver Josh Pearson, and tight end De'Quan Hampton on Sunday. The Buccaneers also placed offensive lineman Sadarius Hutcherson (knee) on the injured reserve on Tuesday and signed tackle Jake Benzinger to fill his spot up front.

Franklin signed with Tampa Bay during the 2019 season and stuck with the team throughout that upcoming offseason, only to suffer a season-ending leg injury during training camp in 2020. He had yet to practice with the Buccaneers this offseason.

The Buccaneers signed Stanley in February. As injuries piled up on the offensive line throughout the beginning of training up, Stanley at one point manned second-team duties at center. Should he go unclaimed on waivers, Stanley will revert to the Buccaneers' injured reserve.

Tampa Bay's next preseason game will be against the Tennessee Titans this Saturday, Aug. 21 at 7:30 PM, at home. The Titans will travel to the Advent Health Training Center in Tampa this week to compete in joint practices with the Buccaneers.