Buccaneers promote Marcus Thigpen, Matt Masifilo to active roster

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are promoting returner Marcus Thigpen and defensive tackle Matt Masifilo to the 53-man roster, according to Greg Auman. Thigpen will replace Trindon Holliday, who will be waived-injured after suffering a hamstring injury, as first reported by Rand Getlin.

Thigpen spent the past two years as a return specialist with the Miami Dolphins, returning 60 punts for an average of 9.7 yards per return, one touchdown and a long of 72 yards. On kick returns he averaged 24.9 yards per return and managed one touchdown in 77 tries. Masifilo should be familiar to Bucs fans, as he's been on and off the roster for the past couple of years.

This leaves the Bucs with two more openings on the 53-man roster, after trading Jonathan Casillas and Mark Barron earlier this week and waiving quarterback Mike Kafka, who was later re-signed to the team's practice squad. One of those two openings will likely be filled by rookie running back Charles Sims, who's eligible to return to play this week, and should receive a large workload with Doug Martin unlikely to play.

The final player to be activated is a bit of a mystery, but it's a safe bet to expect him to be a practice squad player. Given Brandon Magee's injury and Jonathan Casillas being traded, the most likely candidate is a linebacker with the perfect name of Mister Alexander, a third-year player originally out of Florida State. Fullback Lonnie Pryor and wide receiver Tavarres King might also be realistic options.