Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie defensive lineman DaVonte Lambert was inactive for the team's first game of the regular season, but that was hardly a demoralizing start to Lambert's professional career. The simple fact that he was on the roster after arriving as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn represented a great step forward in chasing his NFL dream.
Then there's this: Just 14 days later Lambert was on the field for 51 of the Buccaneers' 65 defensive snaps in a wild, last-minute loss to the Los Angeles Rams. There was barely any time for Lambert to get adjusted to the fact that he was truly in the league before he was suddenly pressed into a serious role.