Buccaneers add Brandon Dixon to 53-man roster, waive Quinton Pointer

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have added Brandon Dixon, a recent practice squad addition, to the 53-man roster ahead of Sunday's game against Carolina. They released Quinton Pointer to make room on the squad. All of this per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.

The Buccaneers were a bit thin at cornerback heading into Sunday's game against Carolina, with Mike Jenkins slowly returning from injury, and Rashaan Melvin dealing with an ailment of his own that has ruled him out of the game. That left Alterraun Verner (who was also hurt this preseason), Johnthan Banks, Leonard Johnson and Quinton Pointer as the only "fully healthy" corners on the roster.

And with news that Pointer bruised his thigh this week, the Bucs couldn't afford to get any thinner at defensive back, so they made the switch to go with the younger Dixon.

Dixon, a rookie sixth-round pick of the Jets, played at Division II Northwest Missouri State, where he played against rivals Pittsburg State, now famous for being the alma mater of Cardinals rookie John Brown.

But Brown was the only NFL-caliber talent Dixon faced on a regular basis in college, and he now is tasked with potentially filling in against Kelvin Benjamin, Jerricho Cotchery and Jason Avant. He's likely the last man off the bench at corner, and will presumably play a role on special teams on Sunday as well.

Pointer was the Bucs' backup slot corner, leaving only Leonard Johnson at the position heading into the season.