Nehari Crawford

Buccaneers Audition Five Players

The Buccaneers are hosting a group of free agents at their minicamp this week, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Tampa Bay is working out offensive linemen Cyrus Kouandjio and Josh LeRibeus and wide receivers Malachi Dupre, Nehari Crawford, and Jamarius Way.

Of the group, LeRibeus has played in the most total NFL games (50). An 11-game starter at center for the 2015 Redskins, LeRibeus appeared in 19 games (three starts) for the Saints over the past two seasons. LeRibeus, 29, earned positive grades from Pro Football Focus earlier in his career, but that wasn’t the case in 2018. Among the 153 interior linemen who played at least 100 offensive snaps a season ago, LeRibeus ranked dead last in PFF grade.

Kouandjio, 25, has the highest draft pedigree of any player working out for the Bucs, as he was chosen in the second round (44th overall) of the 2014 draft. The Alabama product has had trouble staying healthy throughout his NFL career, and thus has only appeared in 30 games over five years. Kouandjio has spent the past two years bouncing on-and-off the Broncos’ roster, playing only 80 offensive snaps during that time.

Dupre was once considered the best high school wide receiver recruit in the country, and was — at one point — viewed as a potential first-round pick. Heading into the 2017 draft, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com listed Dupre as a third- or fourth-round selection, but the LSU alum ultimately fell to the Packers in the seventh round. He’s already spent time with five teams in his brief NFL career.