The Bucs are signing veteran tight end Darren Fells to their practice squad with the hopes of activating him to the 53-man roster for Sunday’s game at Washington. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport broke the news on Twitter.

This may or may not be a sign that the Bucs could be without Rob Gronkowski on Sunday as they take the field after the bye week. Gronkowski was at practice on Monday, but is still recovering from broken ribs and a punctured lung he suffered at Los Angeles in Week 3. The veteran tight end tried to play against the Saints before the bye week but lasted just six snaps before suffering a back injury that was related to his rib injury.

If Gronkowski can’t go at Washington, the Bucs would only have two tight ends in O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate on the game day roster. So the team would need to add another one to the game day roster. Fells would allow Tampa Bay to do that without having to cut a player from its 53-man roster due to the practice squad elevation exemption.

The 6-foot-7, 270-pound Fells is a depth piece for Tampa Bay as the Bucs have already brought Codey McElroy and Deon Felder up from the practice squad to the active roster twice. That’s the limit a practice squad player can be activated for a regular season game unless there is a player who misses a game due to COVID-19. So with McElroy and Felder already using their practice squad elevation exceptions for the year, the Bucs needed to sign the 35-year old Fells.

Fells has familiarity with Bruce Arians’ scheme, having played in Arizona from 2014-16. He posted 40 catches for 536 yards and scored four touchdowns with the Cardinals before moving on to Detroit in 2017. He lasted just one season with the Lions before spending the 2018 season in Cleveland. After a two-year stint with Houston, Fells returned to Detroit this year where he caught four passes for 43 yards before being released.