The Tampa Bay Buccaneers elevated wide receivers Ryan Miller and David Moore from the practice squad on Saturday, making both players eligible to play against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. The moves were prompted by several injuries that have left the Bucs' depth chart thin at the position in Week 13.
The NFL introduced the practice squad elevation option in 2020; it allows teams to activate up to two practice squad players for each game. By utilizing one of those two options in Week 10, the Buccaneers have increased their game day roster to 55 players for their matchup with the Panthers. They will be able to keep 48 of those players 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 second elevation for Moore, and his second in as many weeks, and the first for Miller. Both have been on the Bucs' practice squad for the entire 2023 season.
The Buccaneers have only four receivers on the 53-man roster after placing rookie Rakim Jarrett on injured reserve last week. In addition, starting wideout Chris Godwin is considered questionable to play on Sunday due to a neck injury he aggravated in practice on Thursday. The Bucs have kept five receivers active for each of their first 12 games, and the activations of Miller and Moore would make that possible again Sunday if Godwin can't play.
Moore (6-0, 219) has extensive NFL experience, having played 50 games with 14 starts for the Seahawks, Broncos and Panthers. He first entered the league as a seventh-round draft pick by Seattle in 2017. Moore has recorded 78 career receptions for 1,163 yards and 13 touchdowns and has also rushed 12 tines for 91 yards. He played four seasons for the Seahawks then split the 2021 season between Denver and Green Bay.
Miller (6-2, 221) could make his NFL regular season debut on Sunday. He played his college ball at Furman and came to the Buccaneers this may as an undrafted free agent. He played in all three preseason games and caught three passes for 35 yards. At Furman, Miller played tight end and appeared in 54 games with 43 starts, recording 151 receptions for 2,146 yards and 28 touchdowns.
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 with practice squads expanding to 16 spots.
