On Saturday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers activated rookie linebacker Nick Jackson and second-year outside linebacker Mohamed Kamara from the practice squad, making them eligible to play against the New England Patriots at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday.
Both Jackson and Kamara will help the Buccaneers deal with the dual absences of outside linebackers Haason Reddick and Markees Watts, both ruled out for Sunday's game due to injuries. Kamara would be the fourth man in the edge rush rotation, joining Yaya Diaby, Anthony Nelson and Chris Braswell. Jackson could assume some of the various special teams roles usually handled by Watts.
The NFL introduced the practice squad elevation option in 2020, allowing teams to activate up to two practice squad players for each game. By utilizing two such options in Week 10, the Buccaneers have increased their game day roster to 55 players for their matchup with the Patriots. They will be able to keep 48 of those player active for the game, naming seven inactives prior to kickoff.
Each player on the practice squad can be elevated up to three times during the regular season and an unlimited amount of times in the postseason. After the game, elevated players automatically revert to the practice squad without having to pass through waivers. This is Mohamed's second elevation of the season and Jackson's first; Jackson could make his NFL debut on Sunday.
Jackson signed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in May after he had impressed in the team's rookie minicamp while participating on a tryout contract. He played in all three preseason games and led the team with 14 tackles while adding 2.0 sacks, two tackles for loss, one quarterback hit, one interception and one pass defensed. In college, he played four seasons at Virginia and two at Iowa, appearing in a staggering 73 career games and amassing 555 tackles, 17.0 sacks and 33 tackles for loss.
Mohamed was a fourth-round draft pick by the Miami Dolphins in 2024. He got into five games for Miami as a rookie, recording one tackle and one quarterback hit. He was waived during the final roster cuts at the end of August and quickly signed by the Buccaneers to their practice squad. Mohamed played his college ball at Colorado State.
The practice squad elevation option was introduced as part of the new collective bargaining agreement in 2020. The new rule was something of a compromise, as it did not expand the active rosters beyond 53 players but did give teams a few more options on game days.
