Tampa Bay Buccaneers get a late Christmas present in the form of a familiar face on Friday evening
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are reuniting with a name who was pivotal in their run to a Super Bowl title in 2020. Per multiple outlets, the Bucs are signing free agent edge rusher Shaq Barrett to their practice squad. Barrett signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins this offseason. He announced his retirement shortly before […]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are reuniting with a name who was pivotal in their run to a Super Bowl title in 2020.
Per multiple outlets, the Bucs are signing free agent edge rusher Shaq Barrett to their practice squad.
Barrett signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins this offseason. He announced his retirement shortly before training camp began. He reportedly expressed a desire to un-retire back in November. However, the Dolphins did not add him to the active roster by their deadline to do so, which made him ineligible to play for them the rest of the season.
Miami reversed course this week, waiving the veteran linebacker. Barrett went unclaimed through waivers on Friday, which allowed him to sign with any team and play the rest of this year. As it turned out, the Bucs are that team.
Barrett played for the Bucs from 2019 through last season, earning Pro Bowl honors in 2019 as the NFL sack leader before anchoring a Bucs defense that took the franchise to its second Super Bowl championship in 2020.
At this point, it's unclear what kind of shape Barrett is in and if he's going to be ready and able to help the team in the season finale against New Orleans and, if applicable, in the playoffs. He obviously won't be in position to do anything this weekend against Carolina.
Regardless, at minimum, it will surely be a welcome sight for many Bucs players to see their old teammate back at One Buc Place, and good morale at this point of the season is never a bad thing.
UPDATE: (9:15 pm ET): Auman changed his original report, noting that the signing is actually to the Bucs' 53-man roster and not to the practice squad. That could be an indication the team believes he's not far from being able to contribute.
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