Why the Buccaneers cut a standout who had a huge preseason game

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have some difficult decisions to make this offseason when it comes to narrowing the roster down to 53 players.

One of those conclusions led to the Bucs cutting linebacker Nick Jackson, according to FOX Sports insider Greg Auman.

"Here's surprising news: Bucs are cutting undrafted rookie linebacker Nick Jackson, who led the team in tackles in the preseason and had two sacks. Certainly could be back on the practice squad," Auman tweeted.

Here's surprising news: Bucs are cutting undrafted rookie linebacker Nick Jackson, who led the team in tackles in the preseason and had two sacks. Certainly could be back on the practice squad.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 25, 2025

Jackson among surprise Bucs cuts

Jackson, 24, was an undrafted free agent out of Iowa, playing six years of college football. He was with Virginia from 2019-22 before transferring to Iowa for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

Jackson proved during the preseason that he can stick around with a team, but the Bucs have a very deep linebacker room, so it was difficult to keep him with Lavonte David, SirVocea Dennis, Antonio Grier Jr. and Deion Jones ahead of him on the depth chart.

The Buccaneers should be willing to bring Jackson back on the practice squad if he chooses to return. There's a good chance Jackson could either get claimed or sign with another team's practice squad, but he may end up getting an opportunity to compete on another team for playing time.

Should Jackson return, he will have a chance to be called up on gameday three times during the season before he would have to sign with the 53-man roster off of the practice squad in order to play for the Bucs.

Aug 9, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Nick Jackson (53) after intercepting the ball against the Tennessee Titans during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Jackson should be viewed as a special teams contributor early in his NFL career, but his preseason efforts prove that he has the potential to be a high-volume tackling linebacker.

There's still a lot up in the air for Jackson and the other hundreds of people being cut in the NFL this week, but there's hope that he will land back on his feet — whether that is in Tampa or not.

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