Bucs RB Giovani Bernard – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs announced on Monday that they have designated running back Giovani Bernard to come off of injured reserve and return to practice. He is eligible to do so over the next three weeks.

It’s been a while since we heard Bernard’s name as he was placed on IR after just two games played due to an ankle injury. The veteran back has struggled to stay on the field in his two seasons with the Bucs. He missed five games last year and eight games in a row this year.

Bernard hasn’t taken an offensive snap in the two games he’s played. In mainly a special teams role, he recorded took one kick return for 14 yards in a Week 2 win over the Saints.

Crowded Bucs RB Room

Bucs RB Rachaad White – Photo by: USA Today

A special teams role might just be where Bernard stays whenever he returns to the lineup. With the emergence of rookie Rachaad White and the presence of Leonard Fournette, the Bucs have their 1-2 punch in the backfield.

Ke’Shawn Vaughn has only four rushing attempts for six yards on the season as Tampa Bay heavily favors their top two backs. White is also coming off of his best game as a pro with 22 rushing attempts for 105 yards in Germany, closing out the game for the Bucs’ last win.

With that said, there could be an opportunity for Bernard depending on the health status of Fournette this week. Fournette left the Week 10 game with a hip pointer injury and head coach Todd Bowles didn’t have much more of an update when he spoke before departing for the Week 11 bye. However, a report from Adam Schefter states that Fournette is likely to be ready for the next game against the Browns after having a full week to recover.

Bernard can be activated once again at any moment during the three-week time frame and it wouldn’t count against the 53-man roster. We’ll see how the coaches choose to implement him and if he’ll be listed ahead of or behind Vaughn on the depth chart.