On Friday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers used one of their two available practice squad elevation options for Week 18, activating outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul for their regular season finale against the Carolina Panthers on Saturday. This is Pierre-Paul's third straight elevation after he appeared in road games against Carolina and Miami in Weeks 16 and 17.
Against Carolina in Week 16, Pierre-Paul played in his first NFL game since December of 2023 and his first as a Buccaneer since the 2021 playoffs. He was on the field for 12 defensive snaps in that contest, then played 16 more against the Dolphins last Sunday. He has recorded one pass defensed. Pierre-Paul is likely to see a similar amount of playing time on Saturday with outside linebacker Anthony Nelson already ruled out for the game with a knee injury.
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 one of those options in Week 18, the Buccaneers have increased their game day roster to 54 players for their matchup with the Panthers. They will be able to keep 48 of those player active for the game, naming six 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 the third and final elevation of the season for Pierre-Paul, though he would be eligible for additional elevations in the postseason if the Buccaneers qualify for the playoffs.
Acquired in a trade with the New York Giants during the 2018 offseason, Pierre-Paul spent four seasons in Tampa and racked up 33.0 sacks in just 54 regular season games. Despite his relatively short tenure with the team he is tied for 10th on the team's all-time sack list. He made his third Pro Bowl appearance after the 2020 season, in which he led the team with 9.5 sacks and added two interceptions, 14 quarterback hits, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
In six playoff gams for the Buccaneers, Pierre-Paul had another 2.5 sacks, including two in the 2020 NFC Championship Game in Green Bay, plus five QB hits, three passes defensed and a fumble recovery.
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.
