Getty Todd Bowles made a final call on four injured players on Friday.
In a final playoff tune-up, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will play without four key players against the Atlanta Falcons on January 8.
The Bucs will sit injured defensive backs Carlton Davis III (shoulder) and Logan Ryan (knee) plus offensive tackle Donovan Smith (foot), and linebacker Carl Nassib (pectoral). Bucs head coach Todd Bowles confirmed the decision during a Friday, January 6, press conference.
Bowles otherwise committed on Monday to playing healthy starters in the regular season finale at Atlanta. Locked into the No. 4 seed for the NFC, the Bucs can’t improve or worsen their playoff position at this point.
Julio Jones did practice for the #Bucs today and Carlton Davis III ran individually. No sign of Donovan Smith, Logan Ryan or Vita Vea.
Jamel Dean, Antoine Winfield Jr, Mike Edwards and Carl Nassib all practiced.
“I mean, it’s football. You can’t play 16 games and then worry about the 17th. You can’t play three preseason games and 16 games and practice every day and say you may get hurt in the 17th game,” Bowles told reporters. “You can get hurt the first week, you can get hurt in training camp. If you worry about that, you’re probably going to get hurt anyway.”
“We signed up to play football and coach football, that’s what we’re going to do,” Bowles added. “Everybody that loves football, that loves to play, will play the game. Injuries are going to happen. That doesn’t mean it happens in Week 17, the playoff game or preseason. You’ve just got to coach it and you’ve got to play it. If you worry about injuries, you probably don’t need to be playing this sport.”
Bowles acknowledged that he may consider pulling starters later in the game and get reps for backup players.
Julio Jones Among Bucs Expected to Play
Despite not practicing on Wednesday and Thursday due to a knee injury and illness, Bucs star wide receiver Julio Jones returned to practice on Friday, and he looks poised to face his old team in Atlanta.
Jones spent 10 seasons with the Falcons before he left for the Tennessee Titans via a trade in 2021. That season with the Titans didn’t pan out as planned, and Jones went to the Bucs as a free agent in 2022.
A seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, Jones tormented the Bucs for years as a member of the Falcons. He hasn’t dominated this year as he did in seasons past, but he has made key plays along the way.
Jones has 24 catches for 299 yards and two touchdowns plus 45 yards rushing on five attempts in 10 games this season. He missed six games due to injury.
Four Injured Bucs Starters Could Play
As the Bucs seek to get more quality reps for starters against the Falcons, four injured starters look to stay on track for playing in Atlanta.
Defensive backs Jamel Dean (toe) and Mike Edwards (hamstring/hip) remained limited in practice through Thursday. Both returned to practice on Friday.
Nose tackle Vita Vea (calf) didn’t practice Wednesday through Friday, but Bowles didn’t rule him out. Bucs team reporter Brianna Dix wrote that Vea “is in play” for the game.
Offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs (ankle), who was limited in practice all week, could play a third-consecutive game since his Week 12 injury.