Tampa Bay Buccaneers activate DLs CJ Brewer and Mike Greene for opener against Commanders

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers activated defensive linemen CJ Brewer and Mike Greene from the practice squad on Saturday, making both players eligible to play in Sunday’s 2024 season opener against the Washington Commanders. The team also announced Saturday that defensive lineman Calijah Kancey has been downgraded to out on the injured list due to a calf injury he suffered in practice on Friday.

The NFL introduced the practice squad increase option in 2020, which allows teams to activate up to two practice squad players for each game. By using both options in week one, the Buccaneers were able to increase their roster to 55 players for their game against the Saints in week two. They can keep 48 of those players active for the game and designate seven inactive players before kickoff.

Each player on the practice squad can be promoted up to three times during the regular season and an unlimited number of times during the postseason. After the game, promoted players automatically return to the practice squad without having to go through a waiver agreement.

The Bucs finished training camp with a nearly injury-free roster, but have since suffered a series of setbacks on their defensive line. First, Logan Hall suffered a foot injury in practice the week after the final preseason game; he was ruled out for the game, according to Friday’s injury report. Next, Earnest Brown suffered a rib injury on the practice field and was placed on the injured list on Friday. Finally, Kancey was injured at the end of the final practice before Friday’s season opener, and the team placed him on the injury report. He was initially listed as questionable before the Bucs decided he could not play on Sunday.

The Buccaneers added a down lineman at the end of the week by signing second-year player Ben Stille from Arizona’s practice squad, but the rapid succession of injuries at the position forced the Bucs to use two of their options for the raise right at the start of the season.

The ability to expand the practice squad was introduced as part of the new collective bargaining agreement in 2020. The new rule was something of a compromise, as it didn’t expand the active rosters beyond 53 players, but it did give teams a few extra options on game days. In this case, the Bucs simply needed it to have enough healthy defensive linemen to take the field on Sunday.