Former Tennessee Football safety Will Brooks has signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team announced on Monday.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced Monday that they have signed former Tennessee Football safety Will Brooks while placing safety J.J. Roberts on injured reserve. Brooks signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in April, but was later waived.
Brooks took part in rookie minicamp with the Bucs in May on a tryout contract. Roberts is out for the season after suffering a knee injury in a joint practice last week with the Pittsburgh Steelers, opening up a roster spot.
Brooks started his Tennessee career as a walk-on before becoming an important piece in the secondary, finishing with 82 tackles, four interceptions, five tackles for loss and half a sack. He had 59 tackles and four interceptions as a senior last season, taking the four picks back for a total of 152 yards. He had five passes defended and one forced fumble.
Brooks returned an interception 85 yards for a touchdown against North Carolina State last September, giving the Vols a 17-3 lead on the way to a 51-10 win.
“It was a part of the straw that broke the back of them,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said of the interception returned for a touchdown against NC State. “It started creating momentum for us.”
‘A special, special player but really just a special young guy’
Brooks, a Birmingham native who helped lead the Vols to two wins over his Alabama over the last three seasons, had the game-sealing interception against Alabama late in the fourth quarter of the 24-17 win last October and had another touchdown-saving tackle on Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe earlier in the game.
“You talk about his journey, a journeyman,” Heupel said after the win over Alabama last season, “and coming out on the other side of it, a guy that continues to just invest every single day and reap the rewards.
“That’ll be a moment in his life,” Heupel added of the Brooks interception to end the game. “I’m sure he’ll tell that story to all his grandkids and great grandkids and anybody would be able to listen to it as he continues to grow older. But a special, special player but really just a special young guy.”
Brooks also returned an interception 65 yards against Kentucky last season, before being tackled at the 10-yard line. The pick helped Tennessee pull away in a 28-18 win.
Four Tennessee players were picked in the 2025 NFL Draft
Tennessee had four players selected in the 2025 NFL Draft in April. James Pearce went in the first round at No. 26 overall to the Atlanta Falcons, Omarr Norman-Lott was picked in the second round at No. 63 overall by the Kansas City Chiefs.
Dont’e Thornton and Dylan Sampson were both fourth-round picks, with Thornton at No. 108 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders and Sampson at No. 126 overall to the Cleveland Browns.
Defensive tackle Omari Thomas signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent and defensive tackle Elijah Simmons signed with the Arizona Cardinals.
Category: General Sports
