Roster cuts are ongoing throughout the league, but trades are of course another means by which teams can arrive at their 53-man squads. The Buccaneers announced on Tuesday that they have traded linebacker Grant Stuard along with a 2023 seventh-round pick to the Colts for a 2023 sixth-rounder.
Stuard was a seventh-round pick of the Bucs in 2021. Over the course of college career in Houston, he made the transition from safety to linebacker, playing the latter position full-time in his senior year. His 61 tackles and five TFLs were a step down from his previous season’s production, but did enough to allow him to hear his name called last April.
As a rookie, Stuard played in all 17 games, primarily on special teams. He faced a long path to unseat established starters Devin White and Lavonte David, of course. With him out of the picture, Tampa will rely on the likes of K.J. Britt and J.J. Russell as backups in the middle of their defense.
With the Colts, Stuard will likewise encounter a star at the top of the LB depth chart. Shaquille Leonard will remain an every-down player upon his return (which may not be Week 1 of the regular season), so Stuard will again compete for a rotational/special teams role in his new NFL home.