Tampa Bay Buccaneers Make Interesting Wide Receiver Cuts

As part of their roster moves to get down to 53 before Tuesday’s deadline the Tampa Bay Buccaneers released receivers David Moore and Taye Barber.

Cuts are never easy for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to make, and no matter what a team wants to do there are bound to be a players with potential set free to potentially land elsewhere. 

As they worked their way toward the initial 53-man roster the Buccaneers will start this new season with the team made two moves Monday afternoon involving receivers on near opposite ends of the career spectrum. 

“Bucs have made another move at receiver, waiving undrafted rookie Taye Barber, who had shown promise in camp,” Greg Auman of Fox Sports revealed on Monday. “Third receiver already cut, with Kade Warner and Kaylon Geiger. Could be back on practice squad.”

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While Barber was the third, he would not be the last receiver let go by Tampa Bay as veteran David Moore followed soon after according to reports from Pewter Report. 

Of course, as is the case with any released player this time of year, both Barber and Moore could be brought back to the practice squad if still available when that time comes. 

With Moore, however, there’s another wrinkle to the story potentially waiting to unfold according to Auman who subsequently tweeted, “With Bucs cutting David Moore, a veteran’s base salary becomes fully guaranteed if he’s on the Week 1 roster, so Bucs avoid that but can now bring him back on practice squad and potentially to 53 from there. Not the end necessarily.”

Moore was expected to be a bigger part of the Buccaneers receiver room after Russell Gage’s season was ended by injury, so his release was a bit of a surprise in the first place.

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Now, it appears this may be a case of creative book-keeping by the Bucs, and not the end of Moore’s time with the team and his reunion with offensive coordinator Dave Canales. Both spent time together with the Seattle Seahawks before arriving to Tampa. 

For Barber, it’s much more likely the practice squad is his next stop, but if his promising camp this year is any signal of his future, the former TCU Horned Frog could be battling for an active spot this time next season. 

Find David Harrison on Twitter @DHarrison82

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