The Tampa Bay Buccaneers activated linebacker Vi Jones from the practice squad on Saturday, making him eligible to play in the team's Week 12 road game against the New York Giants on Sunday.
The NFL introduced the practice squad elevation option in 2020, allowing teams to activate up to two practice squad players for each game. The elevation of Jones and Callaway will give the Buccaneers 54 available players to suit up against the Giants at MetLife Stadium. 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 number 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 for Jones, who also played in the Buccaneers' last two games against Kansas City and San Francisco.
In his two games so far this season, Jones has played 23 snaps on special teams and three on defense. He has one tackle on defense.
Originally an undrafted free agent with the Seattle Seahawks in 2022, Jones got into three regular season games as a rookie, playing solely on special teams. He first joined the Buccaneers as a practice squad signee last September, and he went to training camp in Tampa this summer before landing back on the practice squad. The Bucs will have four off-ball linebackers available on Sunday, with Jones joining starters Lavonte David and K.J. Britt and reserve J.J. Russell. Rookie linebacker Antonio Grier was waived to make room for the activation of cornerback Jamel Dean from injured reserve on Saturday.
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, particularly in regard to dealing with injuries.
