Only one day separates the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from getting back on the field to begin training camp. The Buccaneers enter the preseason without the weight of the expectations that have been on their shoulders over the past couple of years now that Tom Brady has retired for good.
The team is also relatively healthy with the majority of the team expected to be ready to go for camp. That includes undrafted rookie running back Sean Tucker, who announced on social media on Monday night that he's been cleared to participate.
"Tampa Bay Bucs #44. Cleared for takeoff..."
This is a welcome sight for the Buccaneers after Tucker sat out during OTAs and Mandatory Mini-Camp with what was deemed as a heart issue. The concern also kept him from participating during the NFL Combine and was a major reason he went undrafted in April.
Tampa Bay didn't waste any time agreeing to a deal with Tucker once the draft concluded. He received $155,000 in guaranteed money from the franchise, one of the larger numbers for an undrafted free agent this year. If healthy, Tucker is a dark horse candidate to make the final roster in a room that needs a boost.
The Buccaneers had the second-worst running game in the league last season and don't have a proven option they can rely on behind second-year back Rachaad White. Outside of White and Tucker, the team has Ke'Shawn Vaughn, Chase Edmonds, Patrick Laird, and Ronnie Brown under contract.
Tucker is coming off a record-breaking career at Syracuse. He rushed 589 times for 3,182 yards and 27 touchdowns on the ground while catching 64 passes for 622 yards and four more scores. Tucker set the program's single-season record for rushing yards in a season while finishing third in school history in career rushing yards. He owns two of the top-12 rushing seasons in Orange history.
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