The day before their pivotal matchup against the Saints, the Bucs announced Saturday afternoon that they have elevated cornerback Derrek Pitts Jr. and tight end David Wells from the practice squad and to the active roster.

Bucs TE David Wells – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Both Pitts and Wells will look to fill in where needed for the absences of the players that have already been ruled out for tomorrow, which includes cornerback Carlton Davis III and tight end Ko Kieft.

As communicated by the team, it will be the second elevation for Pitts and the first for Wells. While it is the first time Wells is being elevated, he did receive some run early in the season before rookie Payne Durham took over as the Bucs’ No. 2 tight end.

Both Elevations Could See Action For Bucs On Sunday

With Carlton Davis III and Ko Kieft out of action, what could this mean for Derrek Pitts Jr. and David Wells for their chances of playing against New Orleans should they not be gameday inactives?

For Pitts, his path to playing time is more clear. Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum will be the starters on the outside, while Christian Izien slots in as the nickel back. He fills in as depth behind them along with another rookie in Josh Hayes.

Bucs CB Derrek Pitts – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Pitts has played in three games this season and saw his most action in the NFL in Week 3 against the Eagles. In that game, he played 18 defensive snaps (23%) and 13 special teams (65%) snaps. Expect to see him on special teams in some capacity.

For David Wells, his outlook is more murky. After losing his role to Payne Durham early on after not contributing as a receiver (two catches for negative yards), Wells does not profile as an above-average blocker. Instead, expect the journeyman tight end to only see the field to spell Cade Otton and Durham for a snap or two at a time.

Wells has not appeared in a game since Week 4. He played at least ten snaps in each of the Bucs’ first four games and, like Derrek Pitts Jr., he could also sprinkle in on the special teams unit.