WR Rakim Jarrett Activated from Bucs’ IR list

The Buccaneers activated winger Rakim Jarrett from injured reserve on Saturday, making him available for Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons. The move comes at a time when the Buccaneers’ receiving corps has been devastated by injuries.

Both of Tampa Bay’s top pass catchers, Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, suffered serious injuries in Week 7 against Baltimore. Godwin will be sidelined for the season due to an ankle sprain and subsequent surgery, while Evans is expected to return only after the team’s bye in Week 11 due to a hamstring problem. Rookie winger Kameron Johnson is also on injured reserve.

Jarrett’s activation will give the Bucs five receivers against the Falcons. He joins Jalen McMillan, Trey Palmer, Sterling Shepard and Ryan Miller; Miller just received a promotion from the practice squad earlier this week.

Jarrett was named to the Buccaneers’ 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie out of Maryland last season. He played in the first 10 games and caught passes for 60 yards and his long haul was 41. He was then forced on injured reserve with a quadriceps injury and spent the next six games on that list. He was reactivated on the 53-man roster in Week 18, but did not play in the season finale or two playoff contests.

Jarrett returned to training camp with the Buccaneers that summer and played in his first preseason game before suffering an undisclosed injury that sidelined him for most of August. He caught two passes for 35 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals. Jarrett played in 28 games at Maryland and recorded 119 receptions for 1,552 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Jarrett was placed on injured reserve on August 27, the same day that all NFL teams reduced their rosters to 53 players at the start of the regular season. He had to miss at least four games before he could return to the active roster. Jarrett was designated to return from IR on October 17, which began a 21-day window during which he could be activated at any time.