Caden Fordham’s time away from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t last long.
According to Buccaneers.com’s Scott Smith, the Bucs brought the undrafted rookie linebacker back Monday, signing him to their practice squad. Fordham had initially earned a spot on Tampa Bay’s 53-man roster before being waived when the team claimed cornerback Kevin Knowles from the Kansas City Chiefs.
Fordham had a strong preseason to earn that initial roster spot. He appeared in all three games and finished with 10 tackles, two tackles for loss and a pass breakup. He also made his presence felt on special teams, leading all NFL players during the preseason with four solo tackles in kick coverage.
Fordham's special teams production could matter if Tampa Bay needs to call
on Fordham at some point this season. The Bucs currently have four off-ball linebackers on the active roster, while Christian Rozeboom has been dealing with an injury and SirVocea Dennis only recently returned to practice after missing time.
Fordham came to Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent after a productive final season at N.C. State. He finished second in the country with 143 tackles while adding 10 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions, three passes defensed, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. That performance earned him third-team AP All-America honors.
Making the initial 53-man roster already showed how much ground Fordham gained during his first NFL offseason. He may not have kept that spot after Tampa Bay added Knowles, but the Bucs clearly wanted to keep him around. Now he’ll continue developing on the practice squad while remaining an option if Tampa Bay needs help at linebacker or on special teams.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Bucs reunite with rookie LB Caden Fordham on practice squad
