TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Shaq Barrett, who suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Week 8 last season, has been fully cleared to participate in training camp, the team said Tuesday.
Barrett has not only had to work through the pain of the injury, but also the devastation of losing his 2-year-old daughter Arrayah, who drowned in the family pool in April.
"I'll be honest with you -- I can't speak to the journey he's been on," general manager Jason Licht said. "I haven't been in those shoes. Amazing what he and his family, the resolve that they have and the toughness that they all have. [His wife] Jordanna has been a true fighter and Shaq is just an amazing person, as we all know. That whole family's amazing and I can't say that I would be in the same position that they are if that happened. They're a true inspiration to all of us."
Jordanna revealed last month on Instagram that they are now expecting.
"I know Arrayah had a special hand in picking this sweet girl to add to our family!" the post said. "We are so beyond blessed, so beyond grateful that God chose to give us another little girl! We miss our Arrayah every second of every day, but I rest knowing she's going to be the best big sister angel to little miss Allanah!"
Defensive end William Gholston, who re-signed with the club on a one-year deal Tuesday, expressed his admiration for his teammate.
"I know Shaq is an amazing man. I've talked to him as well, learned and grew so much from him," Gholston said. "I know it's a really hard thing that he's going through. Words can't express it, but it should show the kind of man that I know he is, that everybody else is getting to see."
A fourth-round draft pick in 2013, Gholston is the second-longest-tenured Bucs player behind only inside linebacker Lavonte David, who was selected in the second round of the 2012 NFL draft. Coach Todd Bowles said his signing does not impact plans at the "4i" position, where Logan Hall has worked this offseason.
Bowles also said Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen has also been medically cleared to practice but won't be a full participant as they'll need to assess his tolerance.
Jensen suffered a torn MCL, ACL and PCL, as well as a fracture and a bone chip at the beginning of training camp last year. He did not undergo surgery last season, and he returned for the wild-card game against the Dallas Cowboys, although he was not fully healed. "He'll do some things and we'll monitor him and we'll see how the knee responds," Bowles said.
Former Syracuse running back Sean Tucker, who went undrafted due to a congenital heart defect that was discovered at the NFL combine, has been cleared to be a full participant after being held out of rookie minicamp and mandatory minicamp.
"He wanted to go a hundred miles an hour, and health and safety's utmost importance to us," Licht said. "He had been training 100%, a hundred miles an hour, and it wasn't helping the situation, so we just shut him down from the entire spring and now it's worked out so far -- knock on wood -- where he's fully cleared and I think it's going to pay off for us."
Bowles said wide receiver Russell Gage, who suffered an undisclosed injury this offseason, has a "little bit of a ways to go." Even with limitations, Gage will not be starting camp out on the PUP, a source told ESPN.