Rookie cornerback Deveron Carr was added to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 53-man roster on Saturday, in time to potentially play in the Buccaneers' game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
The Buccaneers promoted Carr from their own practice squad, releasing sixth-year fullback Spencer Larsen in order to make room on the roster. Carr originally joined the team as an undrafted free agent out of Arizona State, signed in April just after the 2013 NFL Draft. Carr was released on August 31 on the final roster cutdown to 53 players, then signed to the practice squad the next day. He played in all four preseason games, contributing two tackles and two passes defensed.
At Arizona State, Carr played in 42 games and started 34, opening 26 straight games as a junior and senior. He finished his Sun Devil career with 86 tackles, 22 passes defensed, two interceptions and 2.5 tackles for loss. He was Pac-12 honorable mention selection in 2012.
Larsen first joined the Buccaneers in July on the third day of the team's training camp. He started the team's preseason opener against Baltimore on September 8 but then did not see action in the next two games due to a minor injury. Larsen was waived on August 26 during Tampa Bay's roster cutdown to 75 players, then returned this past Tuesday. Before arriving in Tampa, Larsen has spent four seasons with the Denver Broncos (2008-11) and one on injured reserve with the New England Patriots (2012).
The moves on Saturday might offer some insight into the Buccaneers' health situation heading into Sunday. The team's official injury report released on Friday just happened to have both a fullback and a cornerback on the list, with FB Erik Lorig listed as probable and CB Rashaan Melvin listed as questionable. Releasing Larsen leaves the Bucs with just one true fullback on the roster and may indicate that Lorig, who practiced without limitations all week, is indeed ready to make his 2013 debut on Sunday. Meanwhile, Melvin was limited during the week after missing the season opener and the Buccaneers might not be sure of his status before game day.
