Buccaneers Terminate Contract of 23-Year-Old Defender

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have waived 23-year-old defensive lineman Deshawn McKnight with an injury settlement, ending the rookie’s brief stay in Tampa before he ever appeared in a regular-season game, via the NFL transaction wire.

McKnight, a 6-foot-1, 283-pound interior defender out of Arizona, signed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent on May 8 after the 2026 NFL Draft.

The Sumter, South Carolina, product wore No. 73 and was viewed as a depth piece on a defensive line already built around veterans such as Vita Vea. He never recorded a regular-season statistic.

His path stalled in the preseason. McKnight suffered a hamstring injury during Tampa Bay’s 16-15 preseason win over the Kansas City Chiefs in late August and was placed on injured reserve on Aug. 25.

The team used the corresponding roster spot to sign wide receiver Matthew Henry. At the time, reports indicated the injury would keep him out of the regular season unless the club later reached a settlement and released him.

The Bucs ended up waiving McKnight with an injury settlement.

In practical terms, the move terminates his Buccaneers contract while compensating him for the remaining injury period and making him a free agent. He can now sign with another team and, if healthy enough, play in 2026.

The timing is typical for late-summer and early-season roster housekeeping. Teams often keep injured undrafted rookies on IR through camp, then settle once it is clear the player will not contribute immediately and the roster needs flexibility.

Tampa Bay is 0-2 and sitting fourth in the NFC South heading into a Week 3 home game against Minnesota, so even a small IR slot can matter as injuries accumulate.

For McKnight, the next step is recovery and a second chance. Undrafted interior linemen rarely stick on the first try, especially after a hamstring issue that limited them to one preseason appearance.

Still, he is young, already has NFL practice experience, and is no longer bound to Tampa Bay’s 53-man or practice-squad picture. Other clubs looking for developmental defensive-line depth can work him out without waiting for the season to end.

The Buccaneers, meanwhile, move on without a player who never cracked the active roster.

McKnight’s signing in May was one of many post-draft additions; his exit is another reminder of how quickly camp bodies cycle through a 90-man roster.

If he lands elsewhere and stays healthy, this will read as a footnote. If not, it will stand as a short NFL chapter defined by one preseason hamstring and a September settlement.