Buccaneers claim defensive back Rodarius Williams off waivers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers added to their secondary Sunday, claiming cornerback Rodarius Williams off waivers from the New York Giants.

Williams, cut by the Giants Saturday, takes the 90-man roster spot created by Tampa Bay placing veteran receiver Russell Gage on injured reserve. Gage will miss the entirety of the 2023 season after suffering a torn patellar tendon in his right knee during a joint practice with the New York Jets Wednesday.

Williams, a sixth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma State, has appeared in eight games (one start) over the past two seasons. He recorded 15 tackles and two passes defended and one interception. Both the 2021 and ’22 campaigns resulted in a lengthy stay on injured reserve for Williams, the older brother of former Cleveland Browns cornerback Greedy Williams. Williams joins a unit starving for proven depth behind incumbent starters Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean.

Buccaneers add to defense as QB competition rolls on

The Buccaneers’ defense as a whole must take a step forward in 2023 given the uncertainty surrounding the quarterback position. Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask remained embroiled in a quarterback competition, with head coach Todd Bowles seemingly steadfast in not naming a starter until after the team’s third and final preseason game.

“We don’t have a timetable on it,” Bowles said Sunday. “We’ll name it when we name it. And, you know, we feel comfortable with where we’re at. So we’ll go from there.”

From the moment he signed a one-year deal worth up to $8.5 million with the Buccaneers in March, it’s been Mayfield’s job to lose. Though Trask appeared to close the gap during the first few weeks of training camp thanks to some turnover issues from his counterpart, Mayfield widened the gap during the preseason opener last Saturday. In just over a quarter of work, Mayfield completed 8-of-9 passes for 63 yards and an eight-yard touchdown strike to rookie wideout Trey Palmer. Trask, on the other hand, completed 6-of-10 passes for 99 yards.

Going into Saturday’s preseason game against the New York Jets, the plan was always for Trask to get the start, while Mayfield’s role remained uncertain. Trask saw the entirety of the snaps in the first half, before making way to third-string quarterback John Wolford for the start of the third quarter. Unfortunately, Wolford suffered a neck injury on a sack and had to be stretchered off the field.

Rather than go with Mayfield, Bowles made the decision to trot out the former Florida Gator under center once more, seemingly not wanting to risk injury to the former No. 1 overall pick. Trask took it home from there, completing 20-of-28 passes for 218 yards and a 33-yard touchdown pass to Palmer.