Buccaneers add RB Barika Kpeenu and S Robert McDaniel as roster churn continues before second preseason game

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made two additions to their active roster ahead of this week’s second preseason game, signing running back Barika Kpeenu and safety Robert McDaniel. The team’s announcement also clarified that the two moves correspond to spots previously held by Kadarius Calloway at running back and Marcus Banks at safety.

In its roster update, Tampa Bay indicated that both players they released, Calloway and Banks, were waived with injury designations. That detail matters because it typically means the players may still be available if unclaimed and are otherwise expected to revert to injured reserve through the waiver process. For a team trying to see enough work from the back end of its depth chart, the timing can be as important as the evaluation itself.

Kpeenu and McDaniel enter the mix as the Buccaneers continue to use the preseason to determine which fringe players can contribute consistently. In the National Football League, preseason snaps are often the only window for coaches to compare similar skill sets across multiple practices and games, especially at positions where special teams can decide roster spots. A late roster shakeup like this suggests Tampa Bay still has questions it wants answered before the regular-season roster is finalized.

The underlying roster mechanics also reflect a common strategy for teams operating under injury constraints. When a player is waived with an injury designation, the club is not only managing its 53-man construction later, it is also controlling how it can keep players available for continued treatment and potential availability. For the players involved, the waiver step can determine whether they remain in the organization through injured reserve or move to another team if claimed.

From a depth-chart perspective, the Buccaneers are now carrying different body types and skill sets at both running back and safety. That matters because preseason games often reveal how well a player handles assignment-based football, rather than just isolated highlight plays. Coaches look for consistency in pass protection, route recognition, and ball security for backs, and for coverage discipline, communication, and run support for defensive backs.

What to watch next is simple: whether Kpeenu and McDaniel can translate their opportunity into productive preseason reps, and how Tampa Bay handles the injury-designated waivers in the days immediately after this second preseason game. If Calloway or Banks clear waivers, the Buccaneers would likely maintain them within their injured reserve framework, preserving long-term options. If either is claimed, it can further shift Tampa Bay’s internal depth planning going into the season.