Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Jack Pyburn will indeed attempt a run at a return to the LSU Tigers if waived when rosters get cut down in a few days.
The LSU Tigers have been in the news a lot over the past few days for their controversial pursuit of NFL players. As the negative sentiment grows, though, they do not shy away from the tactic.
Even after the SEC spoke out with a new rule prohibiting the addition of professional talent, the Tigers now have a plan in place to add Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Jack Pyburn if he were to be waived in the coming days, per On3's Jon Blau.
NFL teams must cut down their rosters to 53 players by 5 pm CT on August 30. As Pyburn is an undrafted free agent, he is far from a lock to make the team. The Buccaneers will play their final preseason game on Friday afternoon, which will be his final chance to make his case.
Through two preseason games, Pyburn has racked up six tackles with two sacks. He had a much better performance in their first game and didn't have much of an impact in the second one. Most roster projections have him getting cut, so he has to do a lot in this third matchup to change minds.
The new rules proposed by the SEC strictly prohibit the Tigers from adding Pyburn. He wasn't drafted, but he did declare and never withdrew his name. He signed a free agent contract with Tampa Bay, though, and is listed on their roster. The same goes with Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, their other controversial additions.
That group of players already had to fight the NCAA in order to gain their initial eligibility, so that will now just expand to the SEC and commissioner Greg Sankey. They'll need to resolve it quickly, though, as LSU's first game is now just over a week away.
The Tigers will jump for joy if they are able to add someone like Pyburn to their defense this late into the game. He isn't an elite-level pass rusher, but he's more than solid. Being able to get two sacks in an NFL appearance, even in the preseason, shows that he brings at least something to the field.
LSU has brought in new starters for the pass rush, but Pyburn would significantly improve their depth. The run-defense specialist had 52 tackles, two sacks, and 5.5 total TFLs last season. Given that he's been with an NFL team, he is certainly in shape to play. He also knows this defense, given that he was a starter last year. After losing Gabriel Reliford for the year, it's actually about as perfect a scenario as Blake Baker could have asked for.
