The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a few players across the roster suffer injuries during the preseason-opening loss to the Miami Dolphins.
On Monday, the Buccaneers announced that they were placing veteran running back Kenjon Barner on Injured Reserve. Barner recorded seven carries for 18 yards and two catches for 13 yards against the Dolphins on Saturday night.
In a corresponding move, Tampa Bay signed running back Patrick Laird to fill out its 90 man roster. Teams across the league have to cut down to 85 players on Tuesday in the first round of cuts.
The former Cal star signed with the Miami Dolphins after going undrafted in 2019. Laird saw his most extensive action as a rookie, rushing 62 times for 168 yards and one touchdown while adding 23 catches for 204 yards. He scored the game-winning touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13.
Laird has spent most of the past two years bouncing between the active roster and practice squad in Miami. In total, he appeared in 37 games with four starts for the Dolphins.
The 26-year-old joins a Tampa Bay backfield that includes Leonard Fournette, Ke'Shawn Vaughn, Rachaad White, and Giovani Bernard.
With Barner going down, Laird will likely be competing with Bernard for the final running back spot within the 53-man roster due to his ability to play on special teams. Bernard missed Monday's practice after leaving the loss to Miami early due to an injury.
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