Safety Marcus Banks got hurt in training camp in July. He rejoined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a member of the team’s practice squad on Tuesday. Now, the former Alabama defensive back could make his NFL debut on Sunday. On Saturday, the Bucs elevated Banks to active status for their Sunday night game against the Los Angeles Rams. Each NFL team can elevate two practice-squad members to active status for each game, making them eligible to play before returning to the practice squad after the game. After joining Tampa Bay as an undrafted rookie in 2024, Banks spent the entire campaign on the Buccaneers’ practice squad without playing in a regular-season game. After the season, Tampa Bay signed Banks to a reserve/future contract in January. But early in training camp, the defensive back sustained a quadriceps injury. The Bucs placed Banks on injured reserve on Aug. 1 and waived him with an injury settlement one week later. FOR MORE OF AL. COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE Banks played the 2019, 2020 and 2021 seasons at Alabama before finishing his college career at Mississippi State in 2022 and 2023. Also eligible to make his NFL debut on Sunday is Fultondale High School alumnus Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig. Silmon-Craig joined the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted rookie from Colorado in May. On Saturday, the Jaguars elevated the safety from their practice squad for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals. The Seattle Seahawks elevated former South Alabama standout Jamie Sheriff from their practice squad for Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans. Sheriff has not played this season after appearing in one game with the Carolina Panthers and one game with Seattle as an undrafted rookie last season. Also eligible to play after a Saturday transaction is Atlanta Falcons cornerback Cobee Bryant. The former Hillcrest-Evergreen standout was on the Atlanta practice squad, but he wasn’t elevated for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints. Instead, the Falcons signed Bryant to their 53-man active roster. Bryant made his NFL debut as a practice-squad elevation in the Falcons’ 30-27 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. He was on the field for 11 defensive snaps and three special-teams plays. More stories on the NFL Alabama alumnus tops NFL’s fines list for the second straight week Former Alabama All-American returning for Vikings after 6-game absence Former Alabama high school standout expects Shedeur Sanders to shine in his first NFL start While those four players could play on Sunday, three other players already have been declared out of action by their teams because of injuries. A concussion will keep Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold (Alabama) from playing against the New York Giants. The game will be the second in a row without Arnold in the Detroit secondary. Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean (Auburn) will be sidelined after he sustained a hip injury in last week’s game. Defensive end Alex Wright (Elba) will miss the Cleveland Browns’ game against the Las Vegas Raiders because of a quadriceps injury.
https://www.al.com/sports/2025/11/former-alabama-defensive-back-in-line-for-nfl-debut-with-buccaneers.html
Former Alabama defensive back in line for NFL debut with Buccaneers
