Facing a three-week stretch that will determine the 2025 champion of the NFC South, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers opened Week 16 with a round of roster moves, including the move of starting cornerback Zyon McCollum to injured reserve.
McCollum sustained a hip injury in last Thursday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons. He now must miss a minimum of four games before returning to the active roster, which means he will sidelined for at least the rest of the regular season. The move marks the second starter the Buccaneers have placed on injured reserve in as many weeks, after losing guard Ben Bredeson to a knee injury in Week 15.
The Buccaneers used the open spot on their 53-man roster to bring back linebacker Anthony Walker, signing him off the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad. Walker signed with the Bucs as an unrestricted free agent in March but was unable to participate in training camp due to a non-football injury and was released in the final roster cuts to 53 players on August 26.
Tampa Bay also made a change to its practice squad, signing defensive lineman C.J. Brewer and releasing wide receiver Brandon Johnson. Brewer had been on the Bucs’ active roster until he was released last Wednesday when the team activated wide receivers Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan off injured reserve.
McCollum started 13 of the first 14 games of the season, missing one game in Week Six after undergoing surgery on his thumb. He ranks fifth on the team with 65 tackles and has added one tackle for loss, one interception and six passes defensed. In his career, the 2022 fifth-round pick has played in 60 games with 42 starts and has recorded three interceptions, 33 passes defensed, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery to go with 239 tackles. The Buccaneers signed McCollum to a three-year contract extension just before the start of the 2025 regular season.
Walker is in his ninth season after being drafted in the fifth round by the Colts in 2017. He played four seasons in Indianapolis, three as a full-time starter, before signing with the Browns as an unrestricted free agent in 2021. After three seasons in Cleveland, in which he started 27 of the 28 games he played, he once again became an unrestricted free agent and moved on to Miami Dolphins for one season in 2024. He has logged a total of 99 games and 83 starts over eight seasons has amassed 581 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 26 tackles for loss, four interceptions, 21 passes defensed, two forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in regular-season play. He has also played in and started three postseason games, all with Indianapolis, adding 12 tackles and a tackle for loss.
Brewer started the season on the Bucs’ practice squad but was promoted to the active roster in Week Four. He has seen action in five games this season, recording four tackles, a half-sack and one quarterback hit. Johnson spent seven weeks on Tampa Bay’s practice squad after signing on October 22.
