The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have placed outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul on the active/non-football injury list, indicating that he will not be ready to practice when the team opens training camp on Friday. That was expected after Pierre-Paul suffered a neck injury in an auto accident in May.
Players on the active/NFI list continue to count against the 90-man camp roster limit, and they may be activated from that list in order to return to practice at any time before the start of the regular season. Placing a player on the active/NFI list preserves the option to later put him on the reserve/NFI list, if necessary.
The Buccaneers originally acquired Pierre-Paul in a trade with the New York Giants in March of 2018, and the former University of South Florida star thrived in his return to the Bay area. Pierre-Paul's team-leading 12.5 sacks last season were his most since 2014 and they marked the first time a Buccaneer player had hit double digits in that category since 2005.
A first-round pick by the Giants in 2010, Pierre-Paul played eight seasons and earned two Pro Bowl berths in New York before last year's trade. In all, he has played in 127 NFL games with 101 starts and has recorded 71 sacks, 129 quarterback hits and 14 forced fumbles. He played in 89% of the Buccaneers' defensive snaps last season, the most by any of the team's defensive linemen.