Several injured players left the Buccaneer roster in the spring. Jerry Eckwood was waived after failing a physical due to a back injury, Randy Crowder retired to take a coaching job at Penn State, and Bill Kollar was waived when he was deemed to be a medical risk if he played again. The loss of Kollar left the roster thin at defensive end, as there were only four players remaining at that position. Of these, Dave Stalls was trying to maintain Colorado residency in order to obtain a veterinary license, and so notified the club that he would retire if not traded to the Denver Broncos. Charley Hannah entered a contract dispute with the team, with the result that Sean Farrell began to be trained at tackle.