The Buccaneers activated safety J.J. Roberts and quarterback Easton Stick from the practice squad for Thursday night’s game against the Cowboys.
That makes both players eligible to suit up tonight.
This is the first elevation for Roberts and the second for Stick.
Stick will again serve as the backup to rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels, who is set to make his second NFL start in place of Baker Mayfield. Mayfield will miss at least one more game after dislocating his right thumb against the Vikings in Week 3.
Stick signed with the Buccaneers’ practice squad on Aug. 31, but he has experience in offensive coordinator Zac Robinson’s system. The two were together last season in Atlanta.
A fifth-round pick by the Chargers in 2019, Stick has appeared in six games with four starts, completing 111 of 174 passes for 1,129 yards with three touchdowns, one interception and an 85.7 passer rating.
Roberts has never appeared in a regular-season game.
He originally joined the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent out of Marshall in 2025.
Bucs Clips
The Cowboys officially announced the activation of left guard Tyler Smith from injured reserve on Thursday afternoon and they also announced the corresponding move they made to create space for him on the active roster.
They have waived running back Emari Demercado. He was claimed off of waivers from the Chiefs ahead of Week 1 and ran five times for 15 yards in two appearances for Dallas.
Demercado ran 131 times for 834 yards and three touchdowns in 40 games for the Cardinals over the last three seasons. He also caught 50 passes for 324 yards and a touchdown.
The Cowboys also announced that they have elevated defensive backs Reddy Steward and Juanyeh Thomas for Thursday night’s game against the Buccaneers.
The Cowboys designated Tyler Smith for return from injured reserve earlier this week and it looks like he’ll be coming off that list on Thursday.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that the Cowboys will activate Smith ahead of their Thursday night home game against the Buccaneers. Smith had thumb surgery ahead of the start of the regular season and was listed as questionable on the team’s final injury report of the week.
Smith will likely slot back into the left guard job in his return to action. T.J. Bass has been manning the position in his place so far this season.
Wide receiver Jonathan Mingo (illness) is the only other player listed as questionable for the Cowboys for Thursday night.
The Cowboys ruled out three players, but they could have their starting left guard back for Thursday Night Football.
Tyler Smith, who has not played this season after undergoing thumb surgery before the season, is listed as questionable. He had full participation in Wednesday’s practice — his first full practice since his 21-day return-to-practice window opened this week — and thus is trending toward making his 2026 debut.
The Cowboys ruled out cornerback Cobie Durant (hamstring), linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (hamstring) and offensive tackle Drew Shelton (hamstring).
They added wide receiver Jonathan Mingo to the injury report with an illness. He did not practice Wednesday and is questionable to play.
Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (thigh) and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (ankle) have no injury designation after full practices all week.
Buccaneers kicker Chase McLaughlin was added to the injury report on Tuesday, but the team won’t be adding a different kicker to handle the role against the Cowboys on Thursday night.
Head coach Todd Bowles said on Wednesday that McLaughlin will play in Dallas. McLaughlin was added to the report as a non-participant due to right hip and groin injuries.
McLaughlin is 9-of-9 on field goals and 7-of-7 on extra points so far this season.
Bowles also said that rookie linebacker Rueben Bain is expected to return after missing two games with groin and shoulder injuries. Quarterback Baker Mayfield (thumb), safety Antoine Winfield (rib), cornerback Benjamin Morrison (quad), and linebacker SirVocea Dennis (ankle, foot) have all been ruled out.
The Cowboys’ depth chart now lists cornerback Joey Porter Jr. as a starter.
Porter played 25 snaps against the Texans on Sunday, only three days after a trade from the Steelers.
He could see more snaps Thursday night as his conditioning and understanding of the playbook have improved.
“I feel comfortable about that, but it’s all really up to the coaches and what they have for me,” Porter said, via Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News. “I just got here not too long ago, so I’m still trying to learn everything and get the grasp of how things are run here. So it’s really up to them.”
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said the team would figure out Porter’s snaps “as we go.”
“I love the way this guy practices,” Schottenheimer said, via Nicole Hutchinson of the team website. “Doesn’t say much in practice; he just goes about his business. Very intentional. I’m blown away by the guy with how he’s come in and been willing to learn.”
Porter has not allowed a touchdown in his last 1,685 coverage snaps, per Pro Football Focus. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud targeted Porter only once, which was an incompletion.
“I feel like there are no limits to what you can do with me on the football field,” Porter said, via Jon Machota of TheAthletic.com.
The Buccaneers added kicker Chase McLaughlin to their injury report on Tuesday. McLaughlin did not participate due to a right groin/hip injury.
McLaughlin has made all nine field goal attempts, with a long of 59, and all seven PATs this season.
The Bucs don’t have a practice squad kicker, so they will have to sign a kicker for Thursday night if McLaughlin can’t play.
The Bucs made two other changes to their injury report after Tuesday’s walkthrough: They added outside linebacker Anthony Nelson (illness) to the report as a non-participant, and they upgraded linebacker Josiah Trotter (knee) to a full participant after being listed as limited Monday.
Linebacker SirVocea Dennis (ankle/foot), quarterback Baker Mayfield (right thumb), cornerback Benjamin Morrison (quad) and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (rib) remained out of practice.
Tight end Ko Kieft (elbow) was limited a second day, and rookie outside linebacker Rueben Bain Jr. (groin/shoulder) was a full participant again.
The Cowboys practice report did not change on Tuesday. It was the same as on Monday when the team estimated their injury report based on a walkthrough.
Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (thigh) and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (ankle) remained full participants, a sign that both are on track to play in Thursday’s game against the Bucs. Both players were injured in Sunday’s victory over the Texans.
Cornerback Cobie Durant (hamstring), linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (hamstring) and offensive tackle Drew Shelton (hamstring) were again non-participants.
Offensive guard Tyler Smith (thumb) was limited again after the Cowboys opened his 21-day return-to-practice window on Monday.
Safety Alijah Clark (ankle), running back Tyler Goodson (ankle), safety Malik Hooker (forearm) and outside linebacker James Houston (shoulder) remained full participants.
Hope that the Cowboys will get linebacker DeMarvion Overshown back in the lineup on Thursday night are fading.
Overshown has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury and he was listed as a non-participant in practice on Monday’s estimated injury report. On Tuesday, head coach Brian Schottenheimer said, via multiple reporters, that Overshown is a “long shot” to play against the Buccaneers.
Jaishawn Barham has taken over as a starter in Overshown’s absence. He has 21 tackles and a forced fumble over the last three weeks.
Cornerback Cobie Durant and offensive tackle Drew Shelton were also listed as out of practice Monday. They are also dealing with hamstring injuries.
Cowboys guard Tyler Smith was designated for return from injured reserve on Monday and he addressed whether he thinks he’ll be ready to play against the Buccaneers on Thursday.
Smith had thumb surgery ahead of Week 1, so he’s been out of action for a month and the short week before the game against Tampa doesn’t provide him with much time to practice before a decision will be made about his availability. Smith said on Monday that he “feels fine” from a conditioning standpoint, which he thinks gives him a shot of playing right away.
“I think it’s possible,” Smith said, via the team’s website. “We’re not ruling anything out. Obviously, there’s limited reps this week with just with a quick turnaround on Thursday. But we’re going to do some work tomorrow, kind of see how it feels and then ultimately when I feel ready, when the coaches feel like I’m ready, it’s boots on the ground and we’re rolling.”
T.J. Bass has been starting at left guard in Smith’s absence and we’ll find out if that will remain the case when the Cowboys make their call about activating Smith for this week.
