The Tampa Bay Buccaneers added a familiar face to their defense this week after signing veteran edge rusher Jason Pierre-Paul to the practice squad.
The Buccaneers signed Pierre-Paul earlier this week. Of course, the 36-year-old was part of the Bucs' Super Bowl LV run and spent four seasons in total with Tampa Bay.
While the Bucs hope Pierre-Paul can add a little juice to their pass-rush, when he'll get that opportunity remains to be seen. After all, he just signed this week and hasn't suited up for a game since 2023.
On Thursday, we got our answer about Pierre-Paul's status for the Week 15 game against the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night.
Is Jason Pierre-Paul playing tonight?
No, Pierre-Paul won't play against the Falcons in Week 15, as he was not among the team's practice squad elevations for the contest. Instead, the team is elevating defensive lineman Adam Gotsis and defensive back J.T. Gray.
Not much of a surprise here, as JPP is going to need time to get into football shape after two years away before he's going to be ready play. He also has to learn the defense.
After a multi-year layoff, we wouldn't be surprised if the veteran doesn't play in Week 16, either, but he does have a mini-bye before Week 16, which gives him extra time to get acclimated before the contest against the Carolina Panthers.
What Pierre-Paul has left in the tank remains to be seen, but the last time we saw him playing football, it didn't look like he had much.
Over three games in 2023, JPP didn't tally a single sack. He posted just 5.5 sacks in 26 games over the two seasons before that. His last significant season came in 2020, when JPP had 9.5 sacks.
That said, it doesn't hurt to give Pierre-Paul a look considering he's just a practice squad signing.
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