Buccaneers Sign Experienced Veteran Linebacker Amid Defensive Injuries

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are signing a linebacker who was once a rival while playing for the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers.

Oct 29, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers linebacker Deion Jones (40) at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are shoring up their linebacker depth with a veteran signing — and it's one that may be familiar to Bucs fans in an unfortunate way.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday that the Buccaneers are signing linebacker Deion Jones to their practice squad. The move comes as linebacker K.J. Britt is nursing a sprained ankle and his backup, J.J. Russell, is dealing with a hamstring injury.

The Buccaneers started linebacker Vi Jones against the Raiders, but Deion Jones offers some more depth at the position. He hasn't started football games in a while, starting just eight in the last two years with the Carolina Panthers, but he has nabbed two picks in his last two seasons and has accounted for 79 total tackles in that two-year span.

He's best known, however, for his stint with the Atlanta Falcons, whom he played for from 2016-21. In that span, he started 83 games and accrued 428 solo tackles, 224 assists, 8.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries and 11 interceptions in that time, but Bucs fans probably know him for a specific interception. Jones was the last defender to get his hands on a football during Jameis Winston's infamous 30-interception season in 2019, taking it back for a pick-six for an overtime win and ending the Winston era in Tampa Bay.

It's currently unknown if the Bucs plan to start Deion Jones over Vi Jones or if he's simply there for depth, but for now, he'll remain on the team's practice squad as he learns Todd Bowles' playbook.

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