The Buccaneers activated wide receiver Rakim Jarrett from injured reserve on Saturday, making him available to play against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. The move comes at a time in which the Buccaneers' receiving corps has been ravaged by injuries.
Tampa Bay's top two pass-catchers, Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, both suffered significant injuries in Week Seven against Baltimore. Godwin is out for the season due to a dislocated ankle and subsequent surgery, while Evans is not expected back until after the team's Week 11 bye due to a hamstring ailment. Rookie wide receiver Kameron Johnson is also on injured reserve.
Jarrett's activation will give the Bucs five receivers to work with against the Falcons. He joins Jalen McMillan, Trey Palmer, Sterling Shepard and Ryan Miller; Miller was just promoted from the practice squad earlier in the week.
Jarrett made the Buccaneers' 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie out of Maryland last season. He played in the first 10 games and caught for passes for 60 yards, with a long of 41. He was then forced to injured reserve by a quad injury and spent the next six games on that list. He was activated back to the 53-man roster in Week 18 but did not play in the season finale or the two playoff contests.
Jarrett went back to training camp with the Buccaneers this summer and played in the preseason opener before suffering an undisclosed injury that sidelined him for most of August. He caught two passes for 35 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals. Jarrett played in 28 games at Maryland and recorded 119 receptions for 1,552 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Jarrett was placed on injured reserve on August 27, the same day all NFL teams trimmed their rosters to 53 players for the start of the regular season. He had to miss a minimum of four games before being eligible to return to the active roster. Jarrett was designated for return from I.R. on October 17, which began a 21-day window during which he could be activated at any time.
