Will Jason Pierre-Paul play tonight? Buccaneers make decision on veteran EDGE in Week 15 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers added a familiar face to their defense this week after signing veteran edge rusher Jason Pierre-Paul from the practice squad.
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The Buccaneers signed Pierre-Paul earlier this week. Of course, the 36-year-old played in Super Bowl LV with the Buccaneers and spent a total of four seasons with Tampa Bay.
While the Buccaneers hope Pierre-Paul can add a bit of momentum to their pass rush, it remains to be seen when he will get that opportunity. After all, he just signed this week and hasn’t been fit to play since 2023.
On Thursday, we got answers about Pierre-Paul’s status for Thursday night’s Week 15 game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Will Jason Pierre-Paul play tonight?
No, Pierre-Paul will not play against the Falcons in Week 15 because he is not on the team’s practice squad for the game. Instead, the team is promoting defensive lineman Adam Gotsis and defensive back JT Gray.
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This is not surprising as JPP needs time to get into football shape before being game ready after being away for two years. He also had to learn to play defense.
After years of recuperation, we wouldn’t be surprised if the veteran sits out Week 16, but he does have a brief bye before Week 16, giving him extra time to acclimate before the game against the Carolina Panthers.
It remains to be seen what Pierre-Paul has left in the tank, but it didn’t look like he had much left last time we saw him playing football.
Through three games in 2023, JPP has not recorded a sack. In the two seasons before that, he had just 5.5 sacks in 26 games. His last significant season was in 2020, when JPP had 9.5 sacks.
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That said, considering Pierre-Paul is only a practice squad signee, it doesn’t hurt to take a look at him.