Buccaneers elevate veteran wide receiver to active roster
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have only played two games but injuries are already making their mark across the roster, especially at wide receiver. Chris Godwin and Julio Jones were both banged up during the season-opening win against the Dallas Cowboys. Neither player has practiced since and it appears that Godwin and Jones will miss their second straight game this weekend.
Add in that star wide receiver Mike Evans is suspended for the home-opener against the Green Bay Packers due to a brawl in New Orleans with Marshon Lattimore, and it's easy to see that Tampa Bay is thin out wide.
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Earlier this week, the Buccaneers tried to mitigate that depth issue by signing veteran wide receiver Cole Beasley to their practice squad. Ahead of the matchup with the Packers, the team has elevated Beasley to the active roster, meaning he's eligible to suit up on Sunday afternoon.
The former Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys star has recorded 65+ catches in four straight seasons. Beasley came away with a career-high 82 catches for 967 yards and four touchdowns in 2020. Despite playing in 16 games last year, he only started eight of them. Beasley caught 82 passes once again but only for 693 yards and one touchdown. The 8.5 yards per reception tied a career-low that dated back to his rookie season in 2012.
For his career, Beasley has appeared in 149 games, with 50 starts, totaling 550 catches for 5,709 yards with 34 touchdowns.
Tampa Bay also elevated guard John Molchon from the practice squad to shore up depth along the offensive line. He joins Nick Leverett and Fred Johnson as the three reserve linemen on Sunday.
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