The winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking for a spark. That might ultimately come through a quarterback switch, but in the meantime, can we interest you in Jeff Demps?
The U.S. Olympic track star and former University of Florida running back was activated from the exempt/commissioner's permission list on Monday, the team announced. Demps takes the place of Luke Stocker, who was placed on injured reserve with a nagging hip injury that kept the tight end from traveling to New England for Sunday's 23-3 loss to the Patriots.
Stocker has been a major letdown for the Bucs, who find themselves paper thin at tight end; Demps has been a ghost.
Demps finally reported to the team on Sept. 9 after participating in the IAAF World Championships over the summer in Moscow. Acquired in the April trade that shipped LeGarrette Blount to the Patriots, Demps spent all of last season on New England's injured reserve list with a leg injury. He's yet to record an NFL statistic, but his speed is intriguing.
We expect Demps to operate both as a return man and a backfield option behind Doug Martin. There's no guarantee he's is in football shape -- or that he'll last for long on the 53-man roster -- but the Bucs are looking for someone to light a fire. This will have to do for now.
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