Bucs Cut Jake Browning as Tampa Bay Trims to 53-Man Roster
Browning heads to free agency after throwing 8 INTs in 5 games last year. Tampa also stashed WR David Sills and CB Josh Hayes on IR.
Cut loose and headed to the open market — zero fantasy value now.
- Browning cut, becomes a free agent
- Browning: 6 TD, 8 INT in 5 games (2025)
- Bazelak waived; Browning released outright
- Sills, Hayes to IR — miss at least 4 games
- Culp waived after 8 PPR pts in 2025
Tampa Bay cut its roster down to the mandatory 53 players, and the headline name walking out the door is quarterback Jake Browning. He's now a free agent, joining Connor Bazelak — who's subject to waivers rather than an outright release — on the way out of the QB room. Browning arrived with some name recognition after last year's numbers, but the tape didn't buy him a job.
The context matters: Browning threw for 771 yards with 6 touchdowns against 8 interceptions across 5 games in 2025, adding 39 rushing yards and a score. That netted just 49 PPR points on the season, per our rankings, which slotted him at QB46 (#303 overall). That's not a starter's line, and it's not a backup worth protecting when a team needs the roster spot.
Who Else Got The Axe
The cut list ran deep. Tampa waived or released more than 30 players, including tight ends Devin Culp and Kenny Fletcher, receivers Jha'Quan Jackson, Eric Rivers and Garrett Greene, running backs Josh Williams and Barika Kpeenu, and a long list of defensive depth like LB Chris Braswell and DL Travis Shaw. Culp is the only name from that group who registered on our board — TE93 — and he did so on the strength of exactly 1 catch for 6 yards and a touchdown last season, worth 8 PPR points. Not a dynasty crisis.
Josh Williams, meanwhile, managed 11 rushing yards over 3 games in 2025 for a single PPR point. He goes unranked, and that's the correct read.
The Injury Angle
Two players avoided the chopping block by landing on injured reserve with the designation to return: cornerback Josh Hayes and wide receiver David Sills. Both are locked into missing at least four games, so if either was buried on a deep-league watchlist, you can put that tab back for a month-plus.
For fantasy managers, this one's simple. Browning had no relevance in any standard format even before the release, and now he's a free agent with no clear landing spot — drop him without a second thought. Culp and Williams were already deep-league dart throws at best, and both are now off Tampa's roster entirely. Nothing here moves your lineup; just clean up any lingering roster spots.
