The Tampa Bay Buccaneers do not sound optimistic that either Antonio Brown or Rob Gronkowski will be on the field when the team resumes play against the Washington Football Team on November 14. Bucs head coach Bruce Arians confirmed that Brown is still in a walking boot, indicating that he is unlikely to play in Week 10.
“Yes. Yes, he’s still in the boot,” Arians said of Brown during his November 8 press conference, per Buccaneers.com.
Arians added that he still has concern for both Brown and Gronkowksi’s injuries. The Bucs coach implied that both players stand a good chance to be held out once again against Washington.
“I think you still have to worry a little bit about Gronk (Rob Gronkowski) and I don’t know if A.B. (Antonio Brown) is going to make it back,” Arians added. “And Carlton [Davis] will stay on IR. We’ll see if those other two guys are game-ready. It’s one thing to practice, it’s another thing to throw them out there in a game.”
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Sherman Is Expected to Play vs. Washington in Week 10
It was not all bad news for the Buccaneers as Arians noted that he expects Richard Sherman to be able to play against Washington. Sherman has been sidelined with a hamstring injury he sustained during the team’s Week 6 game against the Eagles on October 14.
“Yeah, he’s in really good shape,” Arians said of Sherman. “Now, he really didn’t need to play in that game so we were fortunate he didn’t have to. …Yeah, he should be up and ready to roll [vs. Washington].”
During the team’s Super Bowl run, the Buccaneers were able to turn their season around after their bye week. The Bucs had a much better start to the season in 2021 at 6-2, but Tampa is still hoping that they get a boost from the additional week of rest. Arians admitted that the Bucs’ most recent loss to the Saints could serve as a wake-up call.
“Yeah, I would hope,” Arians noted. “I mean, I thought we already fixed it. We hit the quarterback in the head too many times. You have to be very careful if you’re jumping to bat a ball on where you land, especially with the rules the way they are now. Again, we’ll wait and see next time. We could go with one penalty and then come back with 10 or 11. It’s something we have to be very, very aware of.”
The Bucs Have Been Mentioned as a Sleeper Landing Spot for Beckham
Since Tom Brady arrived in Tampa the franchise has seemingly been linked to any big-name player that becomes available. ESPN’s Jeff Darlington believes the Bucs could be a sleeper team to potentially land the recently released Odell Beckham Jr.
“.@JeffDarlington says keep an eye out for OBJ to Tampa Bay should he get released,” ESPN’s Get Up account tweeted on November 4.”‘I have never heard of another QB that Odell Beckham Jr. respects, and has aspired to play with, [more] than Tom Brady.'”
In a follow-up tweet, Darlington admitted the Bucs are “unlikely” to ultimately be Beckham’s new home. Given their lack of cap space, Tampa Bay would need Beckham to pass through waivers unclaimed to have any chance at adding the star receiver.
“…To be clear here, we’re playing a bit of ‘fantasy football” on this,’ Darlington added. “I also consider it unlikely, especially if Odell is prioritizing money. Circumstances make this far less probable than it once might have been.”
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Bucs Give Grim Updates on Antonio Brown, Rob Gronkowski’s Injury Status