The Bucs made roster changes on Monday, signing cornerback Troy Hill from the practice squad and waiving safety Kayvon Merriweather. Hill, 33, was signed to Tampa Bay’s practice squad on October 30th.
The Bucks have not started cornerback Jamel Dean since he injured his hamstring in Week 6 against New Orleans and was placed on injured reserve. Dean returned to practice with the team on Monday. Opened 21 days of practice period He said he feels great and did a lot of running during his bye week to work on his cardio and conditioning in hopes of starting Sunday’s game against the Giants in New York after coming off IR.
“I actually feel like a player now,” Dean said. “They’ve treated me like a coach since I left, so it’s nice to finally feel like a player again.”
If the Bucs activate Dean from injured reserve, they would have to make roster changes and potentially cut undrafted free agent cornerback Tyreke Funderburk. That’s because Josh Hayes has started for Dean the past two weeks and is also Tampa Bay’s top gunner in punt coverage. .
The Bucs recently claimed safety Mike Edwards off waivers, so they could waive Merriweather to make room for Hill. If he is waived later this week to make room for Dean on Tampa Bay’s 53-man roster, Meriwether could be re-signed to the practice squad, and perhaps Funderburk could be re-signed as well.
Troy Hill gives Bucs another veteran cornerback
Bucks CB Troy Hill – Photo courtesy of USA Today
corner back troy hill At 5-foot-10 and 182 pounds, he has a career 119 with the Cincinnati Bengals (2015), Los Angeles Rams (2016-20, 2022), Cleveland Browns (2021) and Carolina Panthers (2023-24). He played in games and started 60 games. He had 406 total tackles (16 for loss), 41 passes defensed, nine interceptions (three touchdown returns), five quarterback hits, 3.0 sacks, three fumble recoveries, and two forced fumbles. It became.
Hill’s best season came in 2020, when he set career highs in tackles (77), passes defensed (10), interceptions (3) and led the NFL in defensive touchdowns with three. Recorded. The Youngstown, Ohio, native played collegiately at the University of Oregon (2011-14), appearing in 49 career games and recording 169 tackles (7.0 points), 26 passes defensed, three interceptions, and a forced fumble. Recorded 3 times. He originally entered the league as a college free agent with the Bengals in 2015. Hill wears No. 25 in Tampa Bay.
