Tampa Bay Buccaneers sign Richard LeCounte

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced the signing of NFL veteran safety Richard LeCounte III on Tuesday. The news comes after LeCounte was waived by the Los Angeles Rams earlier in the offseason.

LeCounte gives Tampa Bay an eighth safety heading into the last preseason game of 2023. The Buccaneers host the Baltimore Ravens in the third and final contest.

We've signed S Richard LeCounte III.#GoBucs

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) August 22, 2023

The Cleveland Browns selected LeCounte in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft with the No. 169 pick. He has played in 10 career games over his first two years in the league. He made nine appearances for the Browns as a rookie in 2021 and played in one more during the 2022 campaign.

LeCounte, a former star at Georgia, has made three tackles in his NFL career. Because the Bucs had 89 players on the roster, they did not have to make a corresponding move to sign LeCounte.

Prior to his NFL career, LeCounte played at UGA from 2017-20. He was an excellent defensive back for the Bulldogs, totaling 176 tackles, 10 pass break-ups, eight interceptions, six fumble recoveries and four forced fumbles in his four seasons.

LeCounte earned All-SEC honors in 2020 after piling up 26 tackles, three interceptions and a fumble recovery for the Bulldogs.

Buccaneers name Week 1 starting QB

There’s a new QB1 in Tampa Bay. On Tuesday, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles announced the team will ride with Baker Mayfield for the season opener. He won the job over Kyle Trask.

Mayfield agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $8.5 million with incentives.

Mayfield is looking for a fresh start after unproductive stops with the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams. Can he take advantage of the opportunity in Tampa?

“Baker’s our starting quarterback, Kyle’s our No. 2,” Bowles said, per ESPN. “We love everything Kyle has done. And he’s gotten leaps and bounds better than he was in the spring and he’s continuing to get better and we’re excited about him. But Baker’s our guy right now — experience-wise and just understanding the playbook just a little bit better. But Kyle’s on the come [up]. But we like both guys. We like where we’re at. Baker’s [No.] 1, Kyle’s [No.] 2.”

In five NFL seasons, Mayfield owns a 61.4% career completion rate with 16,288 yards, 102 touchdowns and 64 interceptions. He’s also added 660 rushing yards while taking 170 sacks. His record as a starting quarterback sits at 31-38.

Mayfield played well in Tampa Bay’s preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He completed 8-of-9 passes for 63 yards with a touchdown and didn’t take any sacks. He did not play in the team’s second game against the New York Jets.