On Saturday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed defensive lineman Deadrin Senat to their active roster from the practice squad and also used their two practice squad elevation options on safety Richard LeCounte and cornerback Derrek Pitts. All three will be available to play against the Packers in Green Bay on Sunday, adding depth to positions that have been thinned by injuries.
The Buccaneers also announced that safety Ryan Neal has been downgraded on the injury report to "out" and will not travel with the team to Wisconsin. Additionally, Vita Vea has been upgraded to questionable.
The NFL introduced the practice squad elevation option in 2020; it allows teams to activate up to two practice squad players for each game. By utilizing both options in Week 10, the Buccaneers have increased their game day roster to 55 players for their matchup with the Packers. They will be able to keep 48 of those player active for the game, naming seven 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 for LeCounte and the first for Pitts.
A handful of Buccaneer defenders have already been ruled out for Sunday's game or are question marks to play. In addition to Neal, cornerback Carlton Davis and defensive lineman Will Gholston were designated as out on Friday's injury report, while defensive lineman Vita Vea is doubtful. Cornerback Jamel Dean and linebacker Devin White are questionable.
Senat has played in two game, against Buffalo and Atlanta, with 18 defensive snaps and one tackle. He was inactive the first time he was elevated from the practice squad. Overall, he has appeared in 36 NFL games with two starts, making 52 tackles and one sack. He spent most of last season on the Bucs' active roster, playing in 12 games and contributing 17 tackles, one sack and two quarterback hits.
The Buccaneers signed LeCounte, a Georgia product, late in training camp and he played in the preseason finale against Baltimore, recording five tackles. He first entered the NFL as a fifth-round draft pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2021 and played in nine games as a rookie. He also spent time on the Los Angeles Rams' practice squad.
Pitts made the Buccaneers' active roster as an undrafted free agent to start the season. He played in two games and contributed one tackle each on defense and special teams before being waived in Week Eight and re-signed to the practice squad in Week Nine.
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 with practice squads expanding to 16 spots.
