Whatever shock the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had after learning of the NFL’s 6-game suspension for running back Josh Williams didn’t get in the way of business. In this case, that meant figuring out how to replace Williams on the 53-man roster with a quickness.
“Bucs have signed running back Owen Wright from the practice squad to the 53-man roster,” Fox Sports NFL reporter Greg Auman wrote on his official X account on Friday, November 14. “Need depth with Josh Williams suspended for the next six games.”
The Buccaneers, who are 6-3 and in first place in the NFC South Division, face Super Bowl contenders in consecutive games with at trip east to face the Buffalo Bills in Week 11 then a trip west to face the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12.
Wright Broke Into NFL as Undrafted Free Agent
While we don’t know much about how Wright, 5-foot-9 and 214 pounds, might hold up against NFL competition, we do know he’s resilient. That’s something we can say about pretty much anyone who makes it into the NFL as an undrafted free agent.
Wright started his college career at William & Mary before transferring to Monmouth, another FCS school, and was an All-CAA pick in 2022 by scoring an incredible 17 touchdowns — 16 rushing and 1 receiving — on just 74 combined touches.
In 2023, Wright made the Baltimore Ravens and played in 1 regular season game before spending 2024 on injured reserve. He signed with the Buccaneers in the offseason and made it to final roster cuts on August 26 before being brought back on the practice squad on October 7.
Wright has played in 1 regular season game for the Buccaneers — a home win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 6.
NFL Came Down Hard on Williams
The NFL announced it was suspending Williams, a rookie running back, on November 11. That means he’s not eligible to return until a Week 17 road game against the Miami Dolphins.
“Bucs RB Josh Williams has been suspended six games without pay for violating the NFL’s Performance-Enhancing Substances Policy, the league announced,” Tampa Bay Times reporter Rick Stroud wrote on his official X account.
The problem for the Buccaneers at running back is depth. Starter Bucky Irving, who rushed for over 1,000 yards as a rookie in 2024, will miss his sixth consecutive game in Week 11 with a shoulder injury.
“Bucs rookie running back Josh WIlliams has been suspended for six games without pay for violating the NFL’s Performance-Enhancing Substances Policy,” Fox Sports NFL reporter Greg Auman wrote on his official X account. “He has played in three games this season, with four carries for 11 yards.”
Williams and Wright are similar running backs who have been on similar career paths.
Williams, 5-foot-9 and 210 pounds, wasn’t selected in the 2025 NFL draft out of LSU and made the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent.
It wasn’t much different than college, when Williams went from a walk-on at LSU to having 2,094 career yards of total offense and 18 touchdowns for the Tigers.
“Originally a walk-on at LSU, Williams spent five years with the program,” LSU Wire’s Alexis Yoder wrote after Williams made Tampa Bay’s 53-man roster in August. “His most productive season came in 2022 when he took 97 carries for 532 yards and six touchdowns. Last year, he took 117 carries for 482 yards and six touchdowns.”
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