The Tampa Bay Buccaneers activated wide receiver Ryan Miller and running back D.J. Williams from the practice squad on Saturday, making both players eligible to play in Sunday's Week Six game against the New Orleans Saints.
The NFL introduced the practice squad elevation option in 2020, allowing teams to activate up to two practice squad players for each game. By utilizing both options in Week Six, the Buccaneers have increased their game day roster to 54 players for their matchup with the Saints in the Superdome in New Orleans. 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 of the 2024 season for both Miller and Williams.
An undrafted free agent out of Furman in 2023, Miller is in his second season on the Buccaneers' practice squad. He was also elevated for a game against the Carolina Panthers last year, during which he logged five plays on offense and 12 on special teams. Miller played in and started all three of Tampa Bay's preseason games this summer, catching five passes for 56 yards and a touchdown. He also made two tackles in kick coverage.
The Buccaneers continue to deal with multiple injuries at the receiver position and have already ruled out wideouts Trey Palmer (concussion) and Kameron Johnson (ankle) for Sunday's game. In addition, rookie wide receiver Jalen McMillan is listed as questionable on the injury report due to a hamstring injury that caused him to miss the Bucs' previous two games. In just six games so far this season the Bucs have already elevated receivers from the practice squad four times, twice for Sterling Shepard, who is now on the active roster, and once each for Miller and Cody Thompson.
The decision to elevate Williams for the first time was undoubtedly driven by a new foot injury to starting running back Rachaad White, who is listed as doubtful to play on Sunday. The Bucs generally carry three active running backs for their games, and Williams will join Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker if White can't go.
Williams signed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent out of Arizona in May. Arizona was the last of his three collegiate stops after he also played at Auburn and Florida State. In all, he appeared n 48 games during his college career, rushing 277 times for 1,394 yards and 13 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 in regard to dealing with injuries.
