Scott Jackson has prepared at every position along the offensive line
For the second straight season, Scott Jackson's stay on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' practice squad was a brief one.
On Saturday, the Buccaneers re-signed Jackson to the active roster from the practice squad. To make room for Jackson on the roster, the team released wide receiver David Boston.
For players who do not make a 53-man crew coming out of training camp, the practice squad is an excellent opportunity to stay involved with a team and potentially get a promotion to the active roster. Jackson can attest to that.
In 2005, the former Brigham Young standout and then-first-year player was among the team's last cuts to get down to 53 at the end of the preseason. He was immediately signed to the practice squad, where he spent the first month of the season. On October 5, however, the Bucs placed guard Matt Stinchcomb on injured reserve and brought Jackson up to the active roster, where he stayed for the rest of the year.
The wait was even shorter for Jackson this year. He was again released on the final cutdown date last Saturday and again signed to the practice squad. This time, he was back among the 53 active players before the season opener.
That's a result of Jackson's well-established versatility and some recent injury concerns along the interior line.
On Thursday, the Buccaneers downgraded rookie Davin Joseph, the starter at right guard, to "out" on the injury report after Joseph injured his knee during Wednesday's practice. In addition, starting left guard Dan Buenning has seen only a small portion of practice since he suffered an ankle injury in the preseason finale at Houston the previous Thursday.
The Bucs will start third-year man Jeb Terry at right guard against the Ravens. If Buenning is unable to play Sunday, Sean Mahan will step in at left guard. While that represents two excellent options for the starting line, it also depletes the team's depth at guard and center. Mahan and Terry were expected to be the primary backups at the three interior line spots at the beginning of the season.
Jackson spent much of this year's training camp playing tackle, but he was primarily a reserve center in 2005 and he has prepared at virtually every spot on the line. The 6-4, 300-pound lineman was a two-year starter at BYU and an all-conference selection as a senior in 2003. He originally joined the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2004, and he also spent his entire rookie season on Tampa Bay's practice squad.
Boston signed with the Buccaneers on May 24 after two seasons with the Miami Dolphins. Originally a first-round draft pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 1999, Boston also spent four seasons with the Cardinals and one with the Chargers before being traded to Miami. Knee injuries forced Boston to miss all but five games during the 2004-05 seasons.
Boston was one of seven receivers the Buccaneers originally kept on their 53-man roster last Saturday. The team's receiving corps still includes Joey Galloway, Michael Clayton, Ike Hilliard, Maurice Stovall, Paris Warren and Mark Jones.
