The Tampa Bay Buccaneers activated linebacker Deion Jones and wide receiver from the practice squad on Saturday, making them eligible to play in the team's Wild Card round game against the Washington Commanders on Sunday evening.
The NFL introduced the practice squad elevation option in 2020, allowing teams to activate up to two practice squad players for each game. The elevation of Jones and Knue gives the Buccaneers 55 available men to play against the Commanders at Raymond James Stadium. 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 elevation for Jones and the first for Knue.
The elevation of Jones gives the Buccaneers' four off-ball linebackers for Sunday's game, as he joins Lavonte David, J.J. Russell and K.J. Britt. Jones has played in the past two games on special teams. Knue's elevation puts the Bucs' receiving corps at eight for the game, but he won't necessarily be among the 48 active players.
Deion Jones spent the first six seasons of his career with the Atlanta Falcons, followed by one year with the Panthers in 2023. A second-round draft pick in 2016, Jones finished third in that year's Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, then earned a Pro Bowl berth in his sophomore campaign.
Jones has played in 111 regular season games with 91 starts, recording 732 tackles, 50 tackles for loss, 12.0 sacks, five forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. During his peak he was one of the NFL's best coverage linebackers, as evidenced by his 53 passes defensed and 13 interceptions, five of which he returned for touchdowns.
Knue joined the Bucs in May as an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Michigan. He played in all three preseason games and snared nine passes for 86 yards and a touchdown. He also returned three punts for 32 yards and two kickoffs for 50 yards.
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 in regard to dealing with injuries.
