Buccaneers elevate Easton Stick, Josh Williams from practice squad for Week 6
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers activated quarterback Easton Stick and running back Josh Williams from the practice squad on Saturday, making both players eligible to suit up for Sunday’s Week 6 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team said. By using both weekly elevations, the Buccaneers expanded their game-day roster to 55 players. Forty-eight of those players may be designated active and the team will name seven inactives before kickoff.
The weekly elevation process allows teams to activate up to two practice squad players for each game. Each player can be elevated up to three times during the regular season and an unlimited number of times in the postseason, and elevated players automatically revert to the practice squad after the game without passing through waivers. The team said this is Stick’s third and final elevation under the rule and Williams’ second, with Williams also having been called up in Week 1.
Stick will serve as the Buccaneers’ second active quarterback behind Jalon Daniels, who will make his third start in place of the injured Baker Mayfield. Mayfield, who suffered a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand in Week 3, did not practice this week and was ruled out for the game on Friday. Stick signed to Tampa Bay’s practice squad on Aug. 31 and has prior experience in offensive coordinator Zac Robinson’s system from their time together last season with the Atlanta Falcons.
Stick’s NFL experience includes six games with four starts. He has completed 111 of 174 passes (63.8%) for 1,129 yards with three touchdowns, one interception and an 85.7 passer rating. Williams has been on the Buccaneers’ practice squad since shortly after roster cutdown, and he made the active roster as an undrafted rookie last season, appearing in three games with four carries for 11 yards and five kickoff returns for 129 yards.
Williams saw action against Cincinnati in Week 1 when Sean Tucker was out with a hamstring strain and returned one kickoff for 47 yards, the Buccaneers’ longest kickoff return this season. His elevation coincides with Tucker being listed as questionable on Friday’s injury report with a quad ailment, giving Tampa Bay additional depth in the backfield and on special teams. The practice squad elevation option was introduced in the 2020 collective bargaining agreement and gave teams more roster-day flexibility without expanding the 53-player active roster.
NFL Sports Blog Take
Elevating Easton Stick gives Tampa Bay a familiar backup who knows Zac Robinson’s offense, which should reduce the learning curve if Daniels leaves the game. Because this is Stick’s third regular-season elevation, the Buccaneers would need to sign him to the active roster to keep him available beyond this game under the weekly-elevation rules. Josh Williams provides immediate depth at running back and a proven kickoff-return option, and his second elevation leaves him with one regular-season elevation remaining unless the team moves him to the 53-man roster.