Buccaneers Sign Rookie Safety While Releasing An Offensive Lineman In The Process

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are gearing up to take the field in Raymond James Stadium for the first time this fall with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming to town on Friday. With only three weeks remaining until teams have to cut down to 53 players, roster moves are continuing across the league.

On Monday afternoon, the Buccaneers announced that they were signing rookie safety Avery Young. In a corresponding move, the team released third-year offensive tackle Grant Hermanns to make room for Young on the roster.

Young joins Tampa Bay after being released by the San Fransisco 49ers last week. He was signed by the 49ers in May and went through Rookie Mini-Camp and Mandatory Mini-Camp with the team. Young will be competing with Nolan Turner, Kedrick Whitehead, Kaevon Merriweather, and Christian Izien for a roster spot alongside Antoine Winfield Jr. and Ryan Neal.

The undrafted rookie spent his college career at Rutgers, suiting up for the program for five years. Young was essentially a five-year starter for the Scarlet Knights at safety and cornerback. He appeared in 54 games, with 51 starts, totaling 326 tackles, ten tackles for loss, three sacks, five forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, 26 pass deflections, and three interceptions. Young was named honorable mention All-Big Ten following the 2022 season.

Hermanns is now looking for a new landing spot after originally signing with the Buccaneers in December. He joined the practice squad prior to inking a reserve/futures contract following the season. Hermanns has also played for the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins.

Tampa Bay has Tristan Wirfs, Luke Goedeke, Justin Skule, Michael Niese, Brandon Walton, and Luke Haggard under contract at tackle.

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