Tampa Bay Buccaneers sign RB Kadarius Calloway

Tampa Bay's signing of Calloway earns a C+ Contract Value Index (CVI), a middling verdict that reflects a low-cost depth move with modest upside but limited immediate impact on an 8-9 team sitting at the NFC South's #10 seed heading into the offseason. At $1.03M AAV on a three-year, $3.1M deal, this is unmistakably a replacement-level commitment—the kind of low-risk, non-guaranteed signing teams use to fill roster spots during the preseason cycle without exposing meaningful cap space. Calloway fits the profile of a reserve back rather than a featured contributor, which means the Buccaneers are banking on either a camp breakout or depth insurance rather than an immediate rotation upgrade. The CVI reflects exactly what this deal is: fair value for a short-term roster gamble that doesn't burden Tampa's cap and keeps flexibility intact, but also one with minimal guarantees of production or playing time. For a team four months out from September needing to shore up depth, this is a pragmatic, low-stakes acquisition that neither helps nor hurts the franchise's competitive posture materially.