Buccaneers Make Two Roster Moves
The Buccaneers have placed linebacker Devante Bond on injured reserve and re-signed fellow linebacker Josh Keyes, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.
[RELATED: Austin Seferian-Jenkins facing two misdemeanor charges]
A hamstring injury has hampered Bond over the past month, though Auman notes that the rookie sixth-round pick from Oklahoma participated fully in Wednesday’s practice. Bond missed practice Thursday, however, leading to his placement on IR.
Keyes appeared in the Buccaneers’ first two games this year, mainly serving as a special teamer. The team waived Keyes on Tuesday, but Bond’s ailment paved the way for his return to the organization. Keyes, who went undrafted out of Boston College last year, spent time on the Bucs’ practice squad as a rookie before the club promoted him to its active roster for the second half of the season, in which he saw special teams action in seven games.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins Facing Two Misdemeanor Charges
8:35am: In a series of tweets, Auman offers further details on Seferian-Jenkins’ arrest. He’s actually facing two misdemeanor charges – one for DUI and another for violating the Ignition Interlock Device restriction from his 2013 arrest. Prior to being pulled over, Seferian-Jenkins was driving between 75 to 80 mph in a 55 mph zone and cut off a state trooper, per Florida Highway Patrol. He was also “agitated” and declined a breath sample.
7:50am: Buccaneers tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence around 4.a.m. ET Friday, according to Greg Auman and Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Seferian-Jenkins has been in jail since 6 a.m. ET.
Seferian-Jenkins previously pleaded guilty to a DUI charge in 2013 while at the University of Washington. A year later, the Buccaneers used a second-round draft pick on him. Seferian-Jenkins has since amassed 45 receptions for 603 yards and seven touchdowns in 18 games (12 starts). The 23-year-old started the Bucs’ first two games this season and picked up three catches for 44 yards and a score.
Buccaneers Sign P-Squad DE
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Buccaneers Promote WR Freddie Martino
- The Buccaneers have promoted wide receiver Freddie Martino from the practice squad and waived linebacker Josh Keyes, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Martino has only appeared in one NFL game, which came as a member of the Falcons in 2014. Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter was Atlanta’s offensive coordinator then.
Bucs’ Doug Martin To Miss Time
Buccaneers running back Doug Martin will miss “about three weeks” with a hamstring injury, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Martin’s status was up in the air until an MRI on Tuesday showed a decent amount of damage. 
Last year, Martin enjoyed his best season since his rookie campaign, rushing for more than 1,400 yards with six touchdowns on the ground and adding 33 receptions and another score for good measure. In the season opener, Martin ran for just 62 yards off of 18 carries, though he did add five receptions for 34 yards. On Sunday against the Cardinals, he had seven carries for 23 yards before exiting due to his injury.
While Martin is sidelined, Charles Sims figures to see the bulk of the carries, though he has averaged just 2.5 yards per attempt off of his 13 carries this year. Last year, Sims averaged 4.9 yards per attempt as the change-of-pace back. With Jacquizz Rodgers and valued UDFA Peyton Barber also on the depth chart, the Bucs probably won’t add another running back during Martin’s brief absence.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bucs Work Out Two Defenders
- The Buccaneers worked out linebacker Lenny Jones and defensive end Ryan Russell, according to Caplan (Twitter link).
Buccaneers Waive Josh Keyes
- The Buccaneers waived linebacker Josh Keyes, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Keyes played extensively on special teams in the first two games of the season.
Bucs Didn't Want To Displace Freeman For Palmer
- Earlier today, a potential Panthers plot to select Blaine Gabbert No. 1 overall emerged in advance of Sunday’s Panthers-49ers game. The Buccaneers‘ Week 2 opponent, the Cardinals, also employ a quarterback who will face a team that pursued him years ago. The Bucs attempted to trade for Palmer in 2013, but refusing to push then-starter Josh Freeman to a backup role did not make it an enticing fit for the then-Raiders quarterback as he looked for a team and a long-term deal, Tom Jones of the Tampa Bay Times writes, analyzing what could have been in advance of Sunday’s tilt. The Bucs joined the Cardinals and Bills in making a push for a then-33-year-old Palmer’s services. Then-Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano wasn’t enamored with Freeman, but the organization did not want to give up on the former first-round pick by automatically making Palmer a starter. Freeman lasted just three games into the ’13 season before being released.
Sealver Siliga Visited Buccaneers
Free agent defensive tackle Sealver Siliga visited the Buccaneers this week, reports Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. Siliga has been available to sign anywhere since the Seahawks reached an injury settlement with him Sept. 2, but the Bucs are the only team that has shown public interest in him this month.
Siliga, 26, joined the Seahawks on a one-year, $1.4MM deal featuring $250K in guarantees back in March. He spent the previous three years in New England, where he started in 13 of 25 regular-season appearances and was part of a team that beat the Seahawks in the Super Bowl to conclude the 2013-14 campaign. For his career, which also includes a one-game appearance with the Broncos in 2012, Siliga has totaled 96 tackles, 5.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
As of now, the Buccaneers currently have four options at defensive tackle, as Roster Resource shows. Star Gerald McCoy and Clinton McDonald start, while Akeem Spence and DaVonte Lambert are Tampa Bay’s reserves. Spence collected 17 snaps in the Bucs’ Week 1 win over the Falcons. Lambert was inactive.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
PFR’s Impact Rookies Series
All summer long, longtime scouting consultant Dave-Te Thomas of The NFL Draft Report has been breaking down the draft class of every team in the league and identifying the players that can immediately make a difference. The Impact Rookies series, which wrapped up today with a look at the Seahawks, provides unique insight to this year’s NFL freshman class from a veteran guru who worked closely with several teams around the league leading up to the draft.
Here is the full rundown of the Impact Rookies series:
AFC East
AFC North
AFC South
AFC West
NFC East
NFC North
NFC South
NFC West