WR Brian Clark could play on Sunday against Seattle after being promoted to the active roster on Saturday
Brian Clark has earned another call-up to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 53-man roster.
On Saturday, one day before the Buccaneers were due to face the Seattle Seahawks in a Sunday night game, the team signed Clark to the active roster off the practice squad. To clear a spot, the Bucs released linebacker Matt McCoy.
Clark was also promoted to the active roster last December, in time to play in the season finale against Carolina. Clark saw action in that game but did not record a catch. The second-year receiver out of North Carolina State also played six games for the Denver Broncos in 2006.
Clark has been with the Buccaneers since last November, when he was signed to the practice squad. Clark was promoted the first time on December 26 and was on the roster but inactive for the Buccaneers' playoff game against the New York Giants.
After entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2006, Clark spent the first six weeks of his rookie season on Denver's practice squad. After his call-up in October, Clark caught four passes for 26 yards in six games. He also became the Broncos' primary kickoff return man, averaging 22.3 yards per runback on 23 returns.
This summer, Clark went to his first training camp as a Buccaneer and had a strong three weeks in Orlando. In four preseason games, Clark caught five passes for 50 yards and a touchdown.
The promotion of Clark may be a response to several injuries at the receiver position. Third-year man Maurice Stovall has already been ruled out as a result of the hamstring injury he sustained against Carolina last weekend. In addition, Joey Galloway is questionable for the game due to a foot injury and hasn't played since Week Two.
With the possibility that Galloway would be inactive, the Bucs could have gone into Sunday's game with only four healthy receivers, including Dexter Jackson, who has primarily served as a kick returner thus far. The addition of Clark gives the Bucs the option of keeping five receivers active, which they have done on most weekends this season.
McCoy appeared in three of the first six games of 2008 and was inactive for the other three. He played primarily on special teams, contributing four kick-coverage tackles. He also had one stop on defense in the season opener. The Buccaneers signed McCoy as an unrestricted free agent in March; he had previously played for the Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints.
