The Buccaneers have done a little Tuesday roster shuffling, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com, who tweets that the team has re-signed defensive end Larry English, waiving defensive end Steven Means to open up a roster spot. According to Smith (via Twitter), the club also filled one of the two openings on its practice squad by adding cornerback C.J. Wilson.
English, a former first-rounder who was drafted with the 16th overall pick in 2009, appeared in 52 games for the Chargers during his five years with the team, struggling with injuries in recent years and never establishing himself as a consistent performer. He started five of nine games for San Diego in 2013, recording 2.5 sacks, before a pectoral injury sidelined him for the season. After signing with Tampa Bay in mid-August, English was cut just a couple weeks later as the club reduced its roster to 53 players.
A fifth-round pick in 2013, Means played a limited role for the Bucs in his rookie season, and saw the field for just four defensive snaps during the team’s Week 1 lost to Carolina, despite receiving some offseason praise from new head coach Lovie Smith. Since Means received a signing bonus of only about $192K on his rookie contract, Tampa Bay will carry a small amount of dead money on its cap this year and next, after cutting him.