Three players with Alabama football roots who were not eligible to play in Sunday’s NFL games when Saturday started are now.

Denver elevated linebacker Zach Cunningham (Pinson Valley) from its practice roster to make him eligible to play when the Broncos face the Las Vegas Raiders at 3:05 p.m. CST Sunday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Each NFL team can elevate two members of its practice squad to active status for each game.

This will be the third straight Sunday that Denver has elevated Cunningham. After Sunday’s game, if Cunningham plays again for the Broncos, it will be as a member of the team’s 53-man active roster because no player can be elevated more than three times in a season.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers restored cornerback Jamel Dean (Auburn) to its 53-man active roster from injured reserve. Dean had been on injured reserve since Oct. 21 because of a hamstring injury. He missed four games, and the Bucs lost all of them. Dean returned to practice on Monday.

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Tampa Bay plays the New York Giants at noon Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Philadelphia elevated tight end C.J. Uzomah (Auburn) from its practice roster to make him eligible to play when the Eagles face the Los Angeles Rams at 7:20 p.m. Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

Philadelphia also elevated Uzomah for its previous game.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.