Bucs sign ex-Browns QB, Harvard TE after workout

After not signing any of 23 tryout players from their three-day rookie minicamp, the Bucs made two moves Tuesday, signing former Cowboys and Browns quarterback Alex Tanney and undrafted rookie tight end Cameron Brate of Harvard after a workout at practice.

"It's pretty exciting," said Brate, who flew into Tampa on Monday and worked out after Tuesday's team practice with two other tight ends. "It was hot -- probably the hottest weather I've ever played football in. I'm not used to that, but it was a really cool experience, working out for the coaches and everything."

Tanney, 26, was with the Cowboys in preseason last year and on the team's practice squad before signing late in the year with Cleveland. The former Monmouth star is perhaps best known for a "trick shot" viral video he made in 2011, drawing nearly 4 million views.

Tanney played at tiny Division III Monmouth College, but set an NCAA record with his prolific passing there: 14,249 passing yards, 157 touchdowns and just 30 interceptions for his career. He completed 68.6 percent of his pass attempts, including 71.5 percent as a senior in 2011.

Brate, 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds, led Harvard with five touchdown receptions as a senior, catching 25 passes for 403 yards. He was invited to Vikings rookie minicamp as a tryout player but was not signed; he will graduate Thursday with a degree in economics, having taken his final exam Saturday night with a proctor in the lobby of the hotel the Vikings had their tryout players staying in.

"I had football from like 6 in the morning til 8 at night, then took a two-hour exam," said Brate. "That was a crazy experience."

Brate has a few ties to current Bucs players -- he worked out at the same gym in Illinois this offseason as Bucs defensive end Adrian Clayborn, and he played at Harvard with receiver Brian Owusu, the younger brother of Bucs receiver Chris Owusu.