5 Buccaneers Players Who Survived the Cut and Earned Their Spot

Final rosters have now been finalized for all 32 NFL teams, and though the competition was fierce in Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers feel good about the roster heading into the 2026 regular season.

Let's take a closer look at five players who conquered the competition, survived the cut, and earned their spot on the Bucs' final 53-man roster.

QB Jalon Daniels

Of all the players who survived the cut, Jalon Daniels was certainly the most talked about. Part of that comes with the territory of playing the quarterback position, but Daniels' exciting style of play combined with his rapid ascension throughout training camp added additional layers of intrigue.

The Buccaneers signed veteran Jake Browning to back up Baker Mayfield this year, but Daniels' superior performance in the preseason was simply too much for the team to overlook.

RB Sean Tucker

Sean Tucker has been very productive when given the opportunity in regular-season NFL action. That being said, he didn't exactly produce much on the ground this preseason. Meanwhile, his primary competitor for the Bucs' final RB spot, Josh Williams, showed impressive burst and elusiveness at points, as well as the ability to catch the football out of the backfield.

There were rumblings of a potential scenario where the Bucs might opt for Williams as their third RB, but Tucker's body of work at the NFL level and complementary running style to Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell gave him the edge in the end.

DT Elijah Simmons

After a busy offseason, the Bucs all of a sudden have a ton of depth along the interior of their defensive line.

Not only did the team re-sign Vita Vea, but they brought back a familiar presence in Rakeem Nunez-Roches through free agency as well. Additionally, the team is very high on second-year player Elijah Roberts, as well as DeMonte Capehart, whom they somehow managed to snag in the fifth round of this year's draft. With Calijah Kancey returning from a season on the sidelines, it would have been completely reasonable for the team to stand pat with that group of defensive tackles.

But not so fast.

Simmons over Jones is really interesting! https://t.co/K13mEKEjRK
— Josh Queipo (@JoshQueipo_NFL) August 31, 2026

The Bucs clearly value depth at the position even more than many people realized, as they decided to keep second-year player Elijah Simmons, whom they signed off the Cardinals' practice squad around this time last year. Obviously, the team likes what they saw from Simmons last year and believes he is still ascending as a player. So much so, they kept him over Jayson Jones, another quality prospect who impressed during the preseason.

CB Ayden Garnes

As an UDFA CB, Ayden Garnes took the opportunity he was provided and never looked back. Garnes was electric in training camp, making splash plays on a daily basis while simultaneously capturing the attention of fans and media almost immediately.

Once we got into the preseason, Garnes immediately delivered on the hype by coming up with a massive pick-six vs. the Jets. He also provided sticky coverage and surprisingly solid run support throughout the preseason, and not only did he earn a spot on the roster, but he likely earned himself a legitimate opportunity to see the field on Sundays come the regular season.

OL Dan Feeney

A former third-round pick of the Chargers back in 2017, Feeney bounced around the league for several years before the Bucs signed him off the Bills' practice squad last season. As a reserve offensive lineman, versatility is always paramount. And in the case of Feeney, the Bucs had him working at both center and guard positions during the preseason.

Bucs tweaked the offensive line for second half -- Ben Scott in at center, Dan Feeney now at right guard, Elijah Klein at RT.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 23, 2026

Feeney's biggest competition for a spot on the roster was Elijah Klein, a player the Buccaneers drafted in the sixth round in 2024. It appears, though, that the Bucs' internal evaluators liked enough of what they saw from Feeney to keep him, while feeling confident enough to move on from their former draft pick.

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