Bucs Waive OLB Chris Braswell, Trim Roster To 53

Braswell did not come close to justifying his draft status. A Bucs that has done well to stack its roster with Day 2 talent this decade misevaluated Braswell, chosen 57th overall out of Alabama in 2024. The former Will Anderson Jr./Dallas Turner Crimson Tide teammate played in all 34 Bucs regular-season games in his career but never booked a start. He hits waivers with 2.5 sacks on his resume.

Two of the Bucs’ eight regular-season injury activations are spoken for via the Hayes and Sills moves. It is a bit interesting Tampa Bay would use two activations on marginal players. Sills, 30, is a career backup who has never eclipsed 200 receiving yards in a season. A sixth-round pick in 2023, Hayes has three career starts.

Plyburn’s name has been mentioned recently due partially to some solid second-half work; he was the only player this preseason to register at least four sacks. He is part of a lawsuit that appears to be trending in the plaintiffs’ direction.

The SEC had joined other conferences in announcing a ban on NFL-to-NCAA moves, but a Texas judge’s recent ruling — who played at LSU last year — could allow Pyburn to join a few others in making an unprecedented move from an NFL training camp to a college roster. Pyburn would need to clear waivers first; claims are due at noon CT Monday.