Amobi Okoye, Adam Hayward come off PUP list for Buccaneers, release Devin Holland, make other moves

It's been a very busy day for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers: after announcing Eric LeGrand's retirement, the Buccaneers traded Brian Price to the Chicago Bears and released wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe. Now they've made a few more roster moves. First, they removed defensive tackle Amobi Okoye and linebacker Adam Hayward from the Physically Unable To Perform list, meaning they are now fully healthy and expected to practice with the team. They then placed cornerback Derrick Roberson on the PUP list with a hamstring injury, although that shouldn't be a huge blow to the team: Roberson was extremely unlikely to contribute this year, anyway. Donald Penn was placed on the reserve/non-football-injury list with a calf injury.

The team then added a little competition at the linebacker position by signing Thomas Williams to a two-year contract, while releasing safety Devin Holland. The latter was a preseason special teams star last preseason, but spent almost all of the regular season on injured reserve. He showed some speed and physical skills, but will have to go elsewhere to display his talents.

Thomas Williams, meanwhile, is a fifth-year veteran who has bounced around the NFL throughout his first four season. He was originally a fifth-round pick out of USC for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but has barely played in his four years in the NFL. He's managed just 15 active games, although he did collect two starts for an injury-wracked Carolina Panthers linebacking corps last year. The Panthers released him earlier this year, and he figures to compete for a backup spot with the Bucs.