The Buccaneers have claimed safety D.J. Swearinger off waivers, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). Tampa Bay had No. 1 waiver priority and used it to grab the 23-year-old after he was discarded by the Texans.
It was reported last month that Houston was trying to trade Swearinger, on whom it used a second-round pick in 2013. Swearinger, who totaled 145 tackles and three interceptions in 22 starts during the first two years of his career, struggled mightily last season. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked him 78th out of 87 qualifying safeties after he allowed opposing quarterbacks a 99.2 passer rating against him.
Swearinger’s old contract included roughly $460k in dead money and cap numbers under $1MM for the next two seasons. That was a price tag too rich for Houston, but Tampa Bay is happy to welcome him into the fold.