Getty Rob Gronkowski is still two or three weeks away from returning.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may be a few weeks away before they get their tight back in the starting lineup.
During an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio, head coach Bruce Arians revealed that Rob Gronkowski may be two or three weeks away before he’s back to normal. Gronkowski has been dealing with a back injury since the team’s Week 8 game against the New Orleans Saints.
“We think in about two or three weeks he’ll be back to normal,” said Arians on Wednesday, November 11. “We have Darren Fells coming in this week, veteran player who has played well for us in the past. Love where we’re at that way. Gronk is going to get better. We’ll just make sure that’s he good when he gets back.”
When asked about the prospect of Gronkowski returning this week against the Washington Football Team– he’s engaged in light running drills in practice sessions — Arians all but ruled that out of the equation.
“I doubt it,” says Arians. “We think that next week is a better timeframe for him. We kind of pushed it with the New Orleans thing. I want him ready to go the whole distance when we’re ready to go.”
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Gronkowski Made Return Too Soon
Gronkowski initially made his return in Week 8 after being sidelined since Week 3 due to rib injuries. However, it was evident from the beginning that the 32-year-old tight end had made his return too soon.
The 11-year veteran lasted just six plays in the game before being pulled out for good. Following the game, Arians admitted he had made a mistake by allowing Gronkowski to play in the game.
“Gronk probably shouldn’t have played,” Arians said following the Week 8 loss to the Saints. “But he kept begging to get in there and re-injured himself.”
With Gronkowski likely out of the picture for this Sunday’s game, the Buccaneers signed veteran tight end Darren Fells to the practice squad. He can be activated for Week 10 as the third tight end along with Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard.
Fells previously played for the Arizona Cardinals — Arians coached the team from 2013 until 2015 — and caught 40 passes for 536 yards and four touchdowns while starting 24 of 38 games.
Arians: Bucs Won’t Pursue Odell Beckham
One player that the Buccaneers will not be pursuing is free agent Odell Beckham Jr.
While the receiver will certainly be highly-coveted by a number of teams, Arians ruled out the possibility of adding the 29-year-old receiver on Wednesday, November 10.
“Too many letters – I’ve already got A.B. (Antonio Brown),” Arians said. “I don’t need OBJ.”
Beckham cleared waivers earlier this week and the Bucs were rumored as one of the possible teams interested.
Instead, the Bucs signed Breshad Perriman — who played for the team in 2019 — with the possibility that he’ll be activated for Sunday’s game against the Washington Football Team.
Arians spoke of the addition of two of his former players.
“They’ve been in other systems for a while, but the verbiage isn’t totally foreign to them,” Arians said. “They can come in, they can pick it up quick. We had Darren for four years in Arizona, and obviously ‘BP’ (Breshad Perriman). That is a huge advantage to them. When we see guys that we know, we know what they are, we know how to plug them in.”