Bucs Gameday

Buccaneers Sign Former Minnesota Vikings Wide Receiver Following Preseason Loss To Steelers

Tampa Bay made one roster change after its preseason-opening loss against Pittsburgh.

Dustin Lewis

In this story:

Tampa Bay opened up its slate of preseason games with a 27-17 defeat against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Raymond James Stadium. The focus was on the quarterback battle between Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask with the Buccaneers sitting out 19 players.

READ MORE: Who Won QB Battle in Preseason Week 1?

A day following the loss, the Buccaneers made one roster change. The team signed former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Cephus Johnson while waiving cornerback Duron Lowe. Johnson was recently released by the Vikings and Tampa Bay didn't waste much time picking him up.

Johnson didn't appear during Minnesota's loss to Seattle on Friday. Lowe played 13 snaps for the Buccaneers on defense, grading out at 45.9 overall and recording no statistics.

Lowe was going through training camp with Tampa Bay after previously suiting up for the Los Angeles Rams. He spent his college career playing for UTEP and Liberty, recording 31 tackles, six pass deflections, and two interceptions in 2021. The cornerback position is one of the deeper spots on the team's defense.

Johnson went undrafted out of Southeastern Louisiana in April and primarily played quarterback at the college level. He's got intriguing athleticism and size, standing at 6-foot-5, 220-pounds. Johnson began his college career at South Alabama before spending his final three seasons with the Lions.

The Alabama native completed 64.5% of his passes for 1,527 passing yards with ten touchdowns to six interceptions in 2022. He rushed 89 times for 488 yards and five touchdowns, finishing third on the team in rushing. Johnson threw 21 touchdowns and rushed for eight scores at Southeastern Louisiana.

Johnson joins a group of wide receivers that are fighting for roster spots behind Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Russell Gage, including Deven Thompkins, Trey Palmer, Rakim Garrett, Kayvon Geiger, and Cade Warner.

READ MORE: Baker Mayfield Talks About Being Tom Brady's Successor

Find David Harrison on Twitter @DHarrison82

Stick with BucsGameday and the Locked On Bucs podcast for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout Training Camp.

Follow BucsGameday on Twitter and Facebook

Published
Dustin Lewis
DUSTIN LEWIS

Lewis joined BucsGameday when it was founded in 2022. He's also the Editor-In-Chief of NoleGameday. A graduate of Florida State, Lewis has worked for NG since 2016.