Former Texas football C Zach Shackelford waived by Buccaneers
Former Texas football OC and three-star Belton recruit Zach Shackelford was cut by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the weekend.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are one of the most intriguing teams around the NFL, just one week ahead of the opening week of the 2020 season. Landing former New England Patriots legendary quarterback Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski should ignite this Buccaneers offense. But it looks like it now won’t include former Texas football All-Big 12 center Zach Shackelford on the 53-man roster heading into the 2020 season.
Over the weekend, the Buccaneers were one of multiple teams around the NFL that announced some former Longhorns would be cut in their latest round of roster cuts ahead of the season opener. The Bucs cut their roster down to 53 after the latest week of Training Camp. Among those cuts were Shackelford.
An official team release on Sep. 5 announced those 26 players that were cut by the Bucs over the weekend. Among those 26 players cut by the Bucs over the weekend were former Arkansas defensive lineman Jeremiah Ledbetter, Wisconsin running back Dare Ogunbowale, Wisconsin cornerback D’Cota Dixon, and South Carolina offensive guard Zack Bailey.
See who made our initial 53-man roster ⬇️#GoBucs
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) September 5, 2020
Shackelford was originally an undrafted free agent of the Bucs following the 2020 NFL Draft. He was either anticipated to be a late round pick in the 2020 draft, or an under-the-radar undrafted free agent signing. But he didn’t prove enough in the end to be one of nine rookies to make the Bucs final 53-man roster.
The rookie offensive linemen that the Bucs wound up keeping were Tristan Whirfs, Donovan Smith, Aaron Stinnie, and Josh Wells. They kept nine offensive linemen on the final 53-man roster, so maybe there’s a chance Shackelford could work his way back if injuries start to pile up and depth needs arrive later down the road this season.
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The Belton, TX, native Shackelford originally signed with the Longhorns as part of the 2016 recruiting class. The Belton High School product was a three-star offensive guard/center recruit that ranked outside of the top 1,000 high school prospects in the nation for the 2016 cycle.