Bucs add depth at offensive tackle, waive QB LeFevour

TAMPA — Shoring up their offensive line depth while rookie Caleb Benenoch is sidelined with an ankle injury, the Bucs on Tuesday agreed to terms with OT Caylin Hauptmann and waived No. 4 QB Dan LeFevour to make room.

LeFevour, 29, has never played in the NFL but played for Bucs quarterbacks coach Mike Bajakian at Central Michigan. There were limited reps for him in practice, and his departure leaves the Bucs with three quarterbacks, starter Jameis Winston and backups Mike Glennon and Ryan Griffin. Tampa Bay kept all three on the 53-man roster all season last year, even though Glennon didn't take a snap and Griffin was inactive each week.

Hauptman, 25, is 6 foot 3 and 305 pounds and had worked out for the Bucs last week when they chose to sign rookie Joel Hale. He played at Florida International and has spent time in preseason and on practice squads with the Browns, Seahawks and Patriots but would face long odds to stick with the Bucs beyond the preseason.

Benenoch, the Bucs' fifth-round draft pick out of UCLA, has worked as a second-string right guard and right tackle but turned his ankle in practice Sunday. He had his left foot in a boot at Monday's practice and was walking on crutches; coach Dirk Koetter said the team had not gotten results of an MRI exam to determine the severity.

INSPIRATION: Winston frequently sends motivational text messages to teammates, and he said Monday he was moved by a commencement speech that actor Denzel Washington gave in 2011 at the University of Pennsylvania.

"You'll never see a U-haul behind a hearse," Washington said, and Winston said he embraced the idea of "falling forward" rather than falling back.

"I'm always trying to get the guys to just mentally be prepared," Winston said. "Days (like Monday) when we start off slow, mentally we've got to be there because when you're tired, you've got to be able to focus, because that's the difference between winning and losing games."

THIS AND THAT: NFL Network will broadcast live from Bucs practice at 10 a.m. today as part of its preseason tour of training camps. … The Bucs continue to have a wide-open competition for kickoff returns. Monday's practice saw WRs Adam Humphries, Kenny Bell, Donteea Dye and Bernard Reedy (Lakewood) and CBs Alterraun Verner and Ryan Smith all getting work on kickoffs. … The Bucs had Tuesday off from practice after going five days in a row to start training camp. They'll go four days in a row before another day off Sunday.

Contact Greg Auman at gauman@tampabay.com and (813) 310-2690. Follow @gregauman.