S Tanard Jackson will see his first regular-season action of 2009 on Sunday in Philly
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made the necessary move Saturday to make sure safety Tanard Jackson could play on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Jackson was removed from the exempt/commissioner permission list on Saturday, meaning he now counts against the 53-man roster and is eligible to play in Sunday's game. In order to make room for Jackson on the roster, the team released defensive end Maurice Evans.
Jackson had carried his exemption throughout the week after rejoining the team on Monday. He had been suspended by the commissioner for the first four weeks of the season. The Buccaneers used the open spot on the roster essentially created by Jackson's exemption to re-sign Evans, who also spent the first week of the season in Tampa. Both players practiced with the team throughout the week.
Buccaneers Head Coach Raheem Morris said on Friday that the team would use the weekend to evaluate if Jackson would start and how much he would play against the Eagles. Whether or not Jackson immediately resumes his starting spot at free safety, it seems likely that he will be heavily involved in a three-man safety rotation with Sabby Piscitelli and Will Allen.
Evans, a former standout at Penn State, originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the New York Giants this past spring. He was released on the final roster cutdown by the Giants and claimed off waivers by the Buccaneers. Evans was inactive for the Bucs' season opener against Dallas and released the following week.
