Buccaneers practice squad 2015: sign Kaelin Clay, Donteea Dye, Howard Jones

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have cut their roster down to 53 players, made a bunch of waiver claims, and are now filling their practice squad. According to Greg Auman, the Bucs have signed wide receiver Donteea Dye, linebacker Josh Keyes, cornerback Jude Adjei-Barimah, cornerback Imoan Claiborne, linebacker Howard Jones, return specialist Kaelin Clay, and tackles Edawn Coughman and Terren Jones to the practice squad.

Of these, only Claiborne and both Joneses weren't with the Bucs in the preseason, with Claiborne spending his off- and preseason as an undrafted free agent with the St. Louis Rams, while Howard Jones was a 2014 undrafted free agent with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who Pittsburgh wanted to sign to their practice squad this year -- but the Bucs outbid them for his services, according to Aaron Wilson. Terren Jones was an undrafted free agent back in 2013 who has spent time bouncing around various practice squads over the past two years and playing one game for the Titans in 2014. He spent this preseason with the Buffalo Bills.

The most interesting name on the practice squad is Howard Jones, who the Bucs are paying a full (read: 53-man roster minimum) salary. The 6'2", 235 lbs. Jones had a terrific 2014 combine, with a 4.6-second 40-yard dash, a 40.5-inch vertical jump, a 124.0-inch broad jump and a 7.16-second 3-cone drill. All of that in combination with his long arm make him the ideal athletic prototype for a Lovie Smith edge rusher. But Jones hasn't made it onto the Steelers' regular season record, instead spending all of 2014 on the practice squad, and failed to register a sack in either of his two preseasons so far.

The Bucs have two more spots on their practice squad, which they're likely to fill with those players they cut today who are still eligible and who make it through waivers: Cameron Brate, Kadeem Edwards, Reid Fragel and Rannell Hall.