Bucs release former 2nd-rounder Chris Braswell

Braswell is a former 2024 second-round pick that could not get it going with the Bucs. He now joins a formidable defense on the Texans’ practice squad. Houston also adds WR Mitchell Tinsley; he is a former Bengals preseason standout who has a path to contributing for the Texans’ injured wide receiver group. Also signed to the Texans’ practice squad are RB Jawhar Jordan, RB Noah Whittington, WR Lewis Bond, WR Josh Kelly, WR Daniel Sobkowicz, TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden, OT James Neal III, C Ka’ena Decambra, DT Dominic Bailey, LB Jamal Hill, CB Bryce Hall, CB Alijah Huzzie, and S George Odum.

Reddick has not been able to play since Week 7 and is not yet back at practice. Also not practicing on defense were Jamel Dean (hip) and Chris Braswell (foot). Dean is week-to-week with his injury while Braswell’s is new and Reddick does not have a timeline for his return. The Bucs defense will be sparse if neither of the three can suit up for Week 12 against the Rams.

Braswell (6’3/251) was rated as a high four-star prospect and 39th overall player from the 2020 recruiting cycle according to 247Sports. He didn’t play as a freshman but was very productive in limited duty the following year, accruing 11 pressures and 8 stops in just 114 reps while receiving Freshman All-American accolades. A two-time member of Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List, Braswell transitioned to a full-time role in 2022 and thrived, chalking up 30 pressures, a 17 percent third-down pressure rate and an 81st percentile PFF pass rush grade in 330 snaps. The Baltimore native flourished in 2023, creating 56 pressures while almost doubling his sack rate from 1.8-to-3.3%. His 88th% pass rush grade charted as the seventh best grade in the Power Five among edge defenders, while Braswell also led the Tide with three forced fumbles. He excelled on the Combine track, running a 1.58s 10-yard split (97th%) and 4.6s 40-yard dash ranked in the 96th percentile for a 251-pounder. A well-schooled student of the game, Braswell deftly converts speed-to-power and brandishes a rounded pass rush toolkit that includes a formidable longarm maneuver with educated hands to keep his pads clean. He can be a little sluggish getting out of his four-point stance and is lacking in prototypical size to be cast as a stout edge-setter. While he is still developing and doesn’t have the sky-high upside of his Alabama contemporaries Dallas Turner and Will Anderson, he has the requisite tools to become a starting EDGE defender.

Braswell (6'3/211) indicated that he would likely make use of his official visit allotment during the summer simply due to personal logistics. Maryland and LSU are two programs which he specifically brought up as schools of interest when speaking with 247Sports. That the Terps are in the mix, here, is noteworthy, as Maryland HC Mike Locksley was a key recruiter for Braswell while Locksley was at Alabama. And the defensive lineman hails from Baltimore. We wouldn’t say that the Crimson Tide should feel nervous at this juncture, but they should most definitely be vigilant in keeping pressure on Braswell’s pledge. On the 247Sports composite board, Braswell ranks as the No. 12 overall prospect in the 2020 class.

Braswell (6'3/211) threw his hat in with Alabama near the end of November. While he has stuck by that pledge without wobbling in the interim, his June official to Tuscaloosa remains an important one as the Tide look to further cement his pledge. That’s because Braswell intends on taking other official visits. He has yet to schedule those future officials, but Maryland and LSU are two possible destinations for trips in either June or later in the fall. Quick, lengthy and whip-smart, Braswell slots onto the 247Sports composite board as the No. 12 overall prospect in the 2020 class.

Braswell (6'3/211) is ranked as one of the best players in the class, coming in 19th among all prospects in the 247 Sports composite rankings, and first among weak-side defensive ends. He had offers from the usual contenders for big-time prospects like Florida, Georgia, Michigan and Notre Dame. A long way to go, but it looks like the rich are getting another elite prospect in the 2020 recruiting class.

Braswell (6'3/211) has been committed to Alabama since late November. He has been working as a defensive end in the high school ranks, but took his reps at linebacker during Thursday’s Future 50. The Rivals analyst pair notes that the Baltimore native “may not have been as strong in coverage as he was in the drills, but at his size, he is fluid, he is athletic and he looks like he could be a nightmare outside linebacker on the edge in Tuscaloosa.” At this relatively early juncture, Braswell ranks as the outlet’s No. 47 overall prospect in the 2019 class.

While Mike Locksley had been serving as a notable recruiter for Braswell, the 6-foot-3, 211-pounder indicated that his feelings toward the program in Tuscaloosa have not shifted since Locksley bounced for the head-coaching position at Maryland earlier this winter. He initially pledged to Alabama near the end of November. Rivals analysts Chad Simmons and Adam Friedman believe that Braswell has the upside to develop into a “nightmare outside linebacker on the edge in Tuscaloosa.”