Buccaneers Announce Week 15 Practice Squad Protections

The Buccaneers are protecting the usual suspects and two defensive backs in Week 15.

Photo: Blidi Wreh-Wilson; Credit: Buccaneers.com

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced their Week 15 practice squad protections on Tuesday: Safety Troy Warner, cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson, tight end Darren Fells and kicker Jose Borregales.

NFL teams are prohibited from signing these four players off of Tampa Bay's practice squad for the remainder of the week, similarly to Week 14 when the Bucs protected the same four players.

The Buccaneers have protected Borregales almost every week this season, serving as an insurance option for starting kicker Ryan Succop. Fells has also been protected regularly since signing to the Bucs' practice squad in November, going on the fifth week in a row.

Wreh-Wilson and Warner are being protected primarily for depth purposes, as the Buccaneers saw cornerback Jamel Dean exit Week 14's game against Buffalo with a potentially concussion-related illness after he suffered a concussion in Week 13. Both players could be elevated to the active roster if need be on Sunday.

The team has also been without starting safety Jordan Whitehead for two games in a row as he nurses a calf injury, while rotational safety Mike Edwards is entering the third week of a three-game suspension for misrepresenting his COVID-19 vaccination status.

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