The Tampa Bay Buccaneers re-signed outside linebacker Elijah Ponder to their practice squad on Tuesday. Ponder previously spent four weeks in September and October on that unit after going to training camp with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent.
To make room on the 16-man practice squad, the Bucs released safety Chris Cooper. Cooper initially made Tampa Bay's 53-man roster to start the season but was then moved to the practice squad, where he's spent the last 15 weeks. He was inactive for the season opener against Dallas.
The Buccaneers signed the rookie Ponder out of the University of Cincinnati, where he had primarily played defensive tackle. The Bucs worked the 6-3, 275-pound defender on the edge and he played in all three preseason games, recording four tackles, one tackle for loss, two quarterback hits, a fumble recovery and a stop on special teams.
Tampa Bay is likely to be without outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett, the team's sack leader with 10.0 QB takedowns, for at least the rest of the regular season. Barrett suffered a knee injury in last Sunday's game but Head Coach Bruce Arians says it is not a severe injury and that Barrett could return for the postseason. In the meantime, the return of Ponder gives the Bucs another option for snaps on the practice field and a potential elevation on game day.
