On Saturday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers used one of their two available practice squad elevation options for Week 17, activating outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul for their road game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Pierre-Paul is now eligible to play in his second consecutive game for the Buccaneers since being signed to the practice squad on December 9.
Against Carolina in Week 15, 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 against the Panthers but could see more extensive action in Miami with outside linebacker Anthony Nelson already ruled out of the game due to 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 17, the Buccaneers have increased their game day roster to 54 players for their matchup with the Dolphins. They will be able to keep 48 of those players 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 second elevation of the season for Pierre-Paul.
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 games 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.
