Former Patriots running back Jeff Demps might see his first action with Tampa on Sunday. (USATSI)
Former Patriots running back Jeff Demps might see his first action with Tampa Bay on Sunday. (USATSI)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers might not be the team with the better record on the field when they play Arizona on Sunday, but they'll be the team with the fastest running back. The Buccaneers have added running back Jeff Demps to the team's active roster, setting the stage for the Olympic sprinter to show off his speed on an NFL field. 

Demps has been with the Bucs since draft day in April, when New England traded him to Tampa Bay for running back LeGarrette Blount. 

Instead of playing football, Demps decided to spend his summer running competitive track in Europe. Thanks to that decision, Demps missed training camp and all of the preseason and was placed on Tampa Bay's reserve/did not report list. 

Demps was later moved to the exempt/commissioner's permission list, which meant the Bucs had two weeks to work with him once he showed up for practice, which he did in early September. The two-week roster exemption expired on Monday, so the Bucs had to make a move and they decided to keep him. 

It's not clear what Demps' role with the team will be, but he can return kicks or play running back.

At the University of Florida, Demps won a national title in both track and football. The 23-year-old also won a silver medal as part of the American 4x100m relay team at the 2012 Olympics in London.