Slot wide receiver Cole Beasley plans to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week pending a physical, per multiple reports.

NFL Network and The Athletic reported Beasley, 33, would sign to the team’s practice squad but could be elevated to the 53-man roster by the weekend if Mike Evans’ one-game suspension is upheld.

The reports indicate quarterback Tom Brady has been in contact with Beasley for several weeks about the possibility of joining the team.

Brady has thrived working with receivers of the slot WR body type, such as Wes Welker and Julian Edelman, and could need reliable hands right away.

A rash of injuries impacted the Buccaneers last week, when Evans played but was ejected for fighting with Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore. Chris Godwin and Julio Jones were nursing injuries, leaving Tampa Bay shorthanded at the position.

Beasley has played for the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills and with 550 career receptions, would be in position to produce if the Buccaneers don’t get Godwin and Jones back against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

An undrafted free agent out of SMU in 2012, Beasley hooked on with the Cowboys and caught 319 passes for 3,271 yards in seven seasons with Dallas before bolting for the Bills in free agency.

–Field Level Media