The Tampa Bay Buccaneers activated quarterback Michael Pratt from the practice squad on Saturday, making him eligible to play in the team's Week Eight home game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
The NFL introduced the practice squad elevation option in 2020, allowing teams to activate up to two practice squad players for each game. The Buccaneers are back to 53 players on the active roster after activating wide receiver Rakim Jarrett from injured reserve on Saturday, and the elevation of Pratt will give them 54 available men to play against the Falcons at Raymond James Stadium. They will be able to keep 48 of those player active for the game, naming six 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 first elevation for Pratt.
The Buccaneers will have three quarterbacks on the active roster but will likely only keep two active. The NFL's relatively new "inactive third quarterback" rule does not apply to players who were elevated from the practice squad for the game. The inactive third QB must be a player who was already on the 53-man roster.
The Green Bay Packers drafted Pratt, a former Tulane standout, in the seventh round in April. However, he was waived in the final roster cuts in late August and the Buccaneers quickly signed him to their practice squad.
Pratt got into three preseason games with the Packers, completing 23 of 35 passes for 178 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Pratt played four seasons at Tulane and amassed career totals of 729 completions in 1,203 attempts for 9,602 yards, 90 touchdowns and 26 interceptions. He was the AAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2023.
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.
