The preseason is officially in the books for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which means the focus now shifts toward building the roster that will open the 2026 regular season.
Tampa Bay must reduce its roster to 53 players by Sunday's 6 p.m. ET deadline, and the first wave of moves is already underway. The Bucs have decisions to make throughout the depth chart after three preseason games gave the coaching staff one final opportunity to evaluate the roster.
Some players who don't survive the initial cut could still return on the practice squad, while others will hit the waiver wire and potentially get an opportunity elsewhere.
Bucs Wire will keep track of every reported and confirmed roster move as Tampa Bay works its way toward the initial 53-man roster.
LB John Bullock
Linebacker John Bullock is among the first players waived as the Buccaneers begin trimming their roster.
Bullock returned to Tampa Bay during the offseason after initially joining the organization as an undrafted free agent in 2025. He faced a crowded competition at inside linebacker this summer, with Alex Anzalone, Josiah Trotter, Christian Rozeboom, SirVocea Dennis and others battling for spots and roles.
RB Barika Kpeenu
Undrafted rookie running back Barika Kpeenu has also been waived.
Kpeenu joined the Buccaneers during the preseason and was competing for a spot in a backfield led by Bucky Irving. With veterans Kenny Gainwell and Sean Tucker also in the mix, there were limited roster spots available behind Tampa Bay's starter.
QB Connor Bazelak
Second-year quarterback Connor Bazelak is also being waived as Tampa Bay begins sorting out its quarterback depth chart.
Bazelak spent time with the Buccaneers as a rookie in 2025 but entered this preseason facing a much different quarterback room. Baker Mayfield remains entrenched as the starter, while veteran Jake Browning and rookie Jalon Daniels have been competing for the backup roles.
This tracker will continue to be updated as additional Buccaneers roster moves are reported ahead of Sunday's deadline.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Buccaneers roster cuts tracker: Live updates as Bucs trim roster to 53
