peyton barber.jpg

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Peyton Barber carries the ball against the Cleveland Browns during the first half of an NFL preseason game in Tampa, Fla., on Aug. 26, 2016.

(AP Photo)

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers open their season on Sunday, former Auburn running back Peyton Barber could make his NFL debut.

The Buccaneers are expected to elevate Barber from their practice squad to their 53-player active roster before Sunday's NFC South game against the Atlanta Falcons, reported Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.

Tampa Bay waived Mike James on Wednesday. James was the Bucs' No. 3 running back behind starter Doug Martin and Charles Sims.

The Buccaneers waived Barber on Saturday as they trimmed their roster from 75 players to the regular-season limit. After Barber went unclaimed during the waiver period, Tampa Bay re-signed him for its 10-player practice squad on Sunday.

Barber was the Bucs' leading ball-carrier during their four preseason games, running for 99 yards. He averaged only 2.5 yards per carry, but Tampa Bay's team average was just 2.6 for the preseason. Barber also caught seven passes for 55 yards.

Tampa Bay kept James on the regular-season roster on Saturday even though he ran for 20 yards on 13 carries in the preseason and missed the final two games with an injury.

Barber is one of two running backs on the Bucs' practice squad, along with Russell Hansbrough, a rookie from Missouri.

An ESPN report from Tampa indicated the Buccaneers brought in running backs for workouts on Tuesday, including former Alabama quarterback Blake Sims.

Sims attended the rookie minicamps of the Green Bay Packers and the Washington Redskins as a tryout player last year, working as a running back for Washington, but neither NFL team offered him a contract.

Sims spent nine days in the Toronto Argonauts' training camp before being released by the Canadian Football League team in June 2015. Sims joined the Saskatchewan Roughriders' practice squad on Aug. 4, 2015, and was activated on Sept. 6, only to be released nine days later. He rejoined the Roughriders on Oct. 20, but did not play in the final three games of the season before being released on Dec. 15.

In July, Sims signed with the Wollongong Devils of Australia's National Gridiron League. But on Aug. 1, that league announced it would delay its inaugural season for one year, starting in October 2017 instead of October 2016.

If Barber does join the Bucs' active roster, he'd give Tampa Bay two undrafted rookies from Auburn. DaVonte Lambert is one of the Buccaneers' four defensive tackles.

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