Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles. Getty
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a couple of roster moves to start training camp. One of them was swapping out depth on the defensive line. The team added rookie UDFA Travis Shaw to the defensive tackle room, and they cut injured defensive tackle Haggai Ndbuisi.
The move swaps out one defensive tackle for another and gives them a healthier player in the room.
GettyTampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles.
Shaw was a UDFA, but he comes into the NFL with plenty of potential. He was a top recruit coming out of high school when he committed to play for Mack Brown and the University of North Carolina in 2022.
He saw the field briefly in 2022, logging 156 total snaps. However, he did not progress in his second season and only played 133 snaps. By his third year, he was up to 337 snaps. He did not record a sack, but had 15 defensive stops according to Pro Football Focus.
Shaw also added six pressures.
However, when Bill Belichick was hired, Shaw transferred to the University of Texas. He did not acclimate quickly enough and ended up with 184 total snaps. This caused him to go undrafted.
He caught on with the New England Patriots briefly, but did not last long into training camp before the team let him go. Now, he is trying to stick around with the Buccaneers.
The signing gives them another player to run through the rotations during training camp. It can help the offensive lineman. However, it is hard to see him sticking around on the Bucs roster.
The Bucs signed Ndbuisi this offseason, mostly to fill depth. He had very little chance of making the roster. He was a UDFA in 2022 with the Arizona Cardinals . However, he spent 2023 with the Denver Broncos , 2024 with the Washington Commanders , and in 2025 he was with the New England Patriots , Commanders, and Houston Texans .
So, he now enters his fifth NFL season, and he will be looking to join his sixth NFL team. The Bucs likely knew the potential when they signed him.
They also are much deeper on the defensive line than they had been in recent years. That is even with Vita Vea sitting out due to his contract dispute.
They are expected to see a much healthier Calijah Kancey this year, and Elijah Roberts should be taking a step forward in his second NFL season.
The Bucs also signed A'Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nunez-Roches in free agency this offseason. Lastly, they drafted DeMonte Capehart . While he was a sixth-round pick, he still has plenty of potential. He also has more leeway than a UDFA who is on his second team.
All of these additions are going to give the Bucs depth at the defensive line that they have not had before. Deshawn McKnight and Josiah Green are other rookie UDFAs on the defensive line. They also have Elijah Simmons and Jayson Jones as depth from last year. The practice squad could be a win for Shaw.
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