The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have dipped into their practice squad to add some front-line help on both sides of the ball for their Week 18 game in Atlanta.
On Saturday, the Buccaneers elevated outside linebacker Ifeadi Odenigbo and offensive tackle Justin Skule from the practice squad, making them eligible to play in the regular season finale against the Falcons. Odenigbo gives the team edge-rushing depth behind starters Anthony Nelson and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, each of whom has played virtually every defensive snap over the last three weeks. Skule adds another option on the offensive line with starting left tackle Donovan Smith already ruled out for the game.
The Bucs may be tapping into their depth across the board if they choose to rest some starters or pull them from the game early. Tampa Bay is locked into the fourth seed in the NFC playoff field regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s game.
The NFL introduced the elevation option in 2020, which allows teams to activate up to two players from their practice squad for each game. After the game, elevated players automatically revert to the practice squad without having to pass through waivers. Each individual player can be elevated a maximum of three times during the regular season; this is the first elevation for Odenigbo and the second for Skule. Skule was elevated for the Week 16 game in Arizona but did not see any action.
The Buccaneers signed Odenigbo (6-3, 258) after he was waived by the Indianapolis Colts. He had played in 13 contests for the Colts this season, recording 12 tackles, 3.5 sacks and six quarterback hits and adding a blocked punt in his last game with the team. Originally a seventh-round pick out of Northwestern by Minnesota in 2017, Odenigbo spent his rookie season on the Vikings’ practice squad before being waived at the end of the 2018 preseason. He was then claimed by the Cleveland Browns, then waived again later in September and claimed by the Arizona Cardinals.
Odenigbo played in one game for the Cardinals in 2018 before returning to the Vikings as a practice squad member. He made the active roster in 2019 and played in all 16 games, contributing a career-high 7.0 sacks to go with 23 tackles, 13 quarterback hits and two fumble recoveries, one returned for a touchdown. Odenigbo played in 15 games for the Vikings in 2020 and recorded 3.5 sacks, then appeared in nine games for the Cleveland Browns last season. In all, Odenigbo has played in 54 games with 15 starts and has compiled 14.0…
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