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Buccaneers To Waive Major Wright

December 12th, 2016 at 6:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Buccaneers reached a reunion agreement with Major Wright late last month as an insurance measure. The temporary arrangement appears to have concluded.

Tampa Bay plans to waive the safety, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, pointing to Chris Conte being available Sunday against the Cowboys.

Wright, who started in nine games for the Bucs from 2014-15, played in Tampa Bay’s two most recent contests bud did not record any statistics. Conte has been out since Week 12 with a chest injury but has started in 24 games since signing with the Bucs in 2015. Conte has two interceptions and 73 tackles this season, his sixth in the league. Cut by the Bucs out of training camp, Wright did not see any other 2016 action before re-signing with the team in November.

The Bucs started Keith Tandy in place of Conte, with Wright active as a backup. Tandy intercepted a pass, one of three Bucs to do so, and made eight tackles in relief of Conte.

Tampa Bay held NFL passing leader Drew Brees without a touchdown pass in a 16-11 win and remains in a first-place tie with the Falcons in the NFC South.

Buccaneers To Sign S Major Wright

November 29th, 2016 at 2:06pm CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers have agreed to terms on a one-year deal with safety Major Wright, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The signing of Wright could be a sign that Chris Conte won’t be ready to go on Sunday. Major Wright (vertical)

Wright was among those released by the Bucs prior to the 75-man deadline in August. Since then, he has had auditions for the Panthers and Dolphins, but neither tryout led to a deal. Today, he circles back to Tampa Bay at a time when safety help is needed.

Wright, 28, has 75 career NFL games to his credit, including 51 starts. In 2014 and 2015, he made 21 appearances for the Bucs and totaled 76 tackles with five passes defensed. Prior to that, the former third-round pick had spent his career in Chicago.

In other Bucs news, the team opted last week to bring back Charles Sims from IR. The Bucs will now monitor him in practice to confirm that he is healthy enough for live action.

Dolphins Working Out Safeties

October 25th, 2016 at 12:28pm CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins are auditioning a group of safeties today, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). That bunch includes James Ihedigbo, Major Wright, and Sergio Brown. James Ihedigbo (Vertical)

After starting 21 games for the Lions over the past two seasons, safety James Ihedigbo has been unable to find work this season. In fact, today’s workout with Miami marks his first known free agent visit of the year. At the age of 32, it seems that Ihedigbo’s stock has gone down. Last year, his production slipped and he lost his starting job to Isa Abdul-Quddus later on in the year. The veteran finished out 2015 as Pro Football Focus’ No. 64 ranked safety out of 69 qualifiers. At the same time, 2014 was Ihedigbo’s best NFL season and it seems possible that he could get back to his old form just two years later.

Wright was cut by the Bucs in late August and we haven’t heard his name mentioned since he worked out for the Panthers days later. Brown, meanwhile, was cut by the Falcons around the same time. The safety played in at least ten games in each of his six seasons and is actually coming off of one of his best seasons. In 2015 with the Jaguars, Brown racked up 38 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

The Dolphins have been thinned out at safety after losing star Reshad Jones for the season.

Panthers Audition Major Wright

August 30th, 2016 at 1:07pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Panthers worked out safety Major Wright, according to Bill Voth of the Black and Blue Review. Wright was released by the division rival Buccaneers earlier this week.Major Wright (Vertical)

[RELATED: Panthers, Kawann Short Still Talking]

Carolina has been looking for veteran defensive back help recently, as they’ve met with both Stevie Brown and Donte Whitner. They’ll now also look at Wright, who started 21 games over the past two seasons with Tampa. He posted 76 tackles from 2014-15, but was scheduled to make $1.75MM this year, necessitating his release.

The Panthers are now back up to 75 players following the signing of Wright — they had been at 74 following a recent round of cuts.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Buccaneers Trim Roster To 77

August 28th, 2016 at 3:19pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Buccaneers have announced a series of roster cuts in advance of Tuesday’s cutdown deadline, and they now have 77 players on their rosters. Two more players must be waived or released by 3pm CT on August 30.

The following Tampa Bay players have been cut:

As a vested veteran, Wright will not have to pass through waivers (as the rest of the players listed will). As such, he is now a free agent and is free to sign with any team.

NFC Notes: Eagles, Bolden, Buccaneers, Raji

July 23rd, 2016 at 11:59am CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted notes from around the NFC…

  • After having worked under Andy Reid for several years, Doug Pederson is now in full control as the head coach of the Eagles. Reid had guided the Eagles to the playoffs during his second season as head coach in Philly, but Pederson believes he inherited a better team than his mentor. “This team today is better than that team,” Pederson told Jeff McLane of Philly.com. “I just think that we’re in a better position.”
  • Safety Omar Bolden was released by the Bears yesterday, but Troy Renck of Denver7 ABC tweets that the 27-year-old “will land on his feet.” Renck notes that the former Broncos draft pick could wind up in Denver, and he adds that his release from the Bears was due to the team’s “logjam” at defensive back.
  • If Buccaneers offensive lineman Gosder Cherilus proves to be nothing more than a backup to Demar Dotson, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times could see the team letting go of him and his $4.5MM salary. Other veterans who could find themselves on the hot seat include offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith, defensive end George Johnson, tight end Brandon Myers, and safety Major Wright.
  • The Packers had offered B.J. Raji a “lucrative” contract, indicating that they expected him to play a major role on their 2016 squad. However, as ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky writes, the defensive lineman’s one-year hiatus from the NFL suddenly changed the organization’s offseason plans.

 

Buccaneers Place Vincent Jackson On IR

December 30th, 2015 at 11:26am CST by Luke Adams

The Buccaneers have announced multiple changes to their 53-man roster, and the most notable move will see wide receiver Vincent Jackson land on the injured reserve list, ending his season. In addition to placing Jackson on IR, the Bucs promoted safety Kimario McFadden to the active roster, and confirmed two previously-reported moves, elevating tight end Tevin Westbrook from the practice squad and sending safety Major Wright to IR.

Jackson, whose knee injury has kept him out of the Buccaneers’ last two games, was limited to 10 contests in total this season. After racking up at least 70 receptions and 1,000 yards during each of his first three seasons in Tampa Bay, Jackson saw his production slip this year as he struggled to stay healthy and establish a rapport with first overall pick Jameis Winston. In total, he grabbed 33 balls for 543 yards and three touchdowns.

It’ll be worth keeping an eye on Jackson’s situation this offseason, since he’s due a $9.778MM base salary, with a $12.21MM cap charge, for 2016. Those figures are identical to his 2015 salary and cap hit, but coming off an injury-plagued season, with just one year left on his deal, Jackon’s hold on a roster spot looks much shakier this time around.

More Minor NFL Transactions: 12/29/15

December 29th, 2015 at 5:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Tuesdays are generally the busiest day of the week during the NFL regular season for transactions, and on the last Tuesday of the 2015 campaign, that’s especially true. After rounding up several minor moves from around the league earlier today, we’ve got plenty more to pass along now. Here’s the latest:

AFC:

  • After re-signing him three weeks ago, the Chargers confirmed today that they have released wide receiver Vincent Brown. The 26-year-old was active for just one game and caught only one pass, for 22 yards.
  • The Ravens have placed wide receiver Marlon Brown on season-ending injured reserve due to a back injury, replacing him on the roster with defensive back Sheldon Price, the team announced today (via Twitter). Brown, the 20th player Baltimore has placed on IR this year, is eligible for restricted free agency, and he may not be tendered a contract this winter, tweets Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.
  • The Broncos have cut safety Shaun Prater, who was inactive on Monday, the team announced in a press release. Prater was signed as insurance after David Bruton was placed on IR, but with T.J. Ward and Darian Stewart back in action, his services weren’t required.
  • The Patriots have filled their roster by signing linebacker and special-teamer Dekoda Watson, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It’s the third contract signed with New England this year by Watson, who has been off and on the Pats’ roster.
  • The Texans have officially confirmed the previously-reported transaction that sent cornerback Charles James to IR, elevating safety Corey Moore to the active roster from the practice squad to replace James, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
  • The Raiders have signed safety Dewey McDonald from off their practice squad, according to the team. McDonald has also spent time with the Colts and Patriots this season.

NFC:

  • The Buccaneers are ending Major Wright‘s season, placing the safety on injured reserve prior to Week 17, tweets Rand Getlin of NFL Network. In a corresponding move, Tampa Bay is elevating tight end Tevin Westbrook from its practice squad to the 53-man roster, according to agent Brett Tessler (Twitter link).
  • Washington has made a change at the back of its 53-man roster, announcing that tight end Je’Ron Hamm has been waived to make room for cornerback Jeremy Harris, who received a promotion from the practice squad.
  • The Lions have once again waived cornerback Bill Bentley, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Bentley, a third-round pick by Detroit in 2012, was cut by the team in the summer before re-signing last month.
  • The Saints are promoting tight end Rashaun Allen to their 53-man roster from the practice squad, tweets Aaron Wilson. As Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune (Twitter link) observes, a corresponding move will be required to make the signing official, which could mean moving tight end Josh Hill to IR.
  • Wilson also passes along details on a couple players who have been cut from their respective teams’ injured reserve lists, reporting (via Twitter) that the Cardinals have cut defensive back Cariel Brooks with an injury settlement, while the Packers have released defensive end Jermauria Rasco from their IR.

Contract Details: Maclin, Thomas, Hughes, Odrick

March 11th, 2015 at 4:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are a few details on some of this week’s noteworthy new contracts:

AFC deals:

  • Jeremy Maclin, WR (Chiefs): Five years, $55MM. $22.5MM fully guaranteed. $12MM signing bonus (Twitter links via Joel Corry of CBSSports.com).
  • Julius Thomas, TE (Jaguars): Five years, $46MM. $21MM fully guaranteed. $28.3MM in first three years (Twitter link via Albert Breer of the NFL Network).
  • Jerry Hughes, DE (Bills): Five years, $45MM base value. $7MM signing bonus. $11.775MM fully guaranteed. $1MM annually in sack-based incentives (Twitter links via Corry and Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
  • Jared Odrick, DL (Jaguars): Five years, $42.5MM. $22.5MM guaranteed. $5MM roster bonus in 2015 (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun).
  • Brandon Flowers, CB (Chargers): Four years, $36.4MM base value. $20.5MM guaranteed. $8MM signing bonus. $2.25MM first-year cap hit (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • Curtis Lofton, LB (Raiders): Three years, $18MM base value. $10MM guaranteed. $6.5MM in first year, including $3.5MM roster bonus (Twitter links via Pelissero and Wilson).
  • Kendall Langford, DT (Colts): Four years, $17.2MM base value. $2.5MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports).
  • Brian Hoyer, QB (Texans): Two years, $10.5MM base value. $3.75MM roster bonus to be paid this month. $5.25MM annual cap hits (Twitter link via John McClain of the Houston Chronicle).
  • A.J. Hawk, LB (Bengals): Two years, $3.25MM base value. $500K guaranteed (Twitter link via Pelissero).

NFC deals:

  • Torrey Smith, WR (49ers): Five years, $40MM base value. $8MM signing bonus. $8.75MM fully guaranteed. $3.6MM first-year cap hit (Twitter links via Corry).
  • Bryan Bulaga, T (Packers): Five years, $33.75MM base value. $8MM signing bonus. $3.6MM first-year cap hit (Twitter links via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com).
  • Stephen Paea, DT (Washington): Four years, $21MM. $7.85MM guaranteed. $5MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • Corey Peters, DT (Cardinals): Three years, $9MM base value. $5.75MM guaranteed. $2MM signing bonus (Twitter links via Wilson).
  • Justin Durant, LB (Falcons): Three years, $10.8MM base value. $4.5MM in 2015. $3MM available in incentives (Twitter link via Pelissero).
  • Dwan Edwards, DT (Panthers): Two years, $4MM base value. $1MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • Sean Weatherspoon, LB (Cardinals): One year, $3.58MM base value. $1.25MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • Major Wright, S (Buccaneers): Two years, $3MM base value (Twitter link via Pelissero).

Buccaneers To Re-Sign Larry English, Major Wright

March 7th, 2015 at 4:43pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Buccaneers have agreed to contracts that will keep pass rusher Larry English and safety Major Wright with the team, reports Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (via Twitter) and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).

English was a first-round pick of the Chargers in the 2009 NFL Draft, after taking down the quarterback more than 30 times during his final three collegiate years. His success stopped there, as he struggled with both performance and injury with the team. He was cut before the 2014 season, and signed with the Buccaneers.

Wright was a third-round pick of the Bears in the 2010 NFL Draft, after winning a national championship with the University of Florida. He was inconsistent in Chicago, and signed a one-year deal with the Buccaneers last offseason.

Both English and Wright were cut by the team after signing, but rejoined the Buccaneers in 2014. Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht has now re-signed four players, with English and Wright joining linebacker Jason Williams and tight end Luke Stocker, according to Cummings (via Twitter).

 

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