The Buccaneers have some time before they have to start making any cuts, but they’ve already made at least one decision about players currently on the roster who won’t be there when the regular season gets underway.
Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune reports that the team has released veteran wide receiver Lavelle Hawkins. Hawkins signed with Tampa shortly after they traded Mike Williams to the Bills in April and some thought his prior relationship with offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford might help him nail down a spot on the final roster. Things didn’t play out that way.
Getting released now could potentially help Hawkins land somewhere else before the preseason comes to a close, although there are going to be plenty of other players hitting the street in the coming days. Hawkins played four games for the Chargers last season and was with the Titans for the previous five seasons, but has only caught five regular season passes over the last two seasons.
With Hawkins gone, it looks like Chris Owusu and Louis Murphy will be joining Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans on the team this year. Tommy Streeter, Eric Page and Skye Dawson have played the most preseason snaps of the other receivers on the roster.