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Things didn’t get easier in the injury department for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday, October 18.
Safety Logan Ryan will have surgery for his injured foot on Wednesday, October 19, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Consequently, the Bucs placed Ryan on injured reserve, and the team anticipates his return for late in the season. Ryan, who broke his foot in Week 4, sustained a Jones fracture in his foot, Rapoport reported.
Ryan joined the Bucs in the offseason as a free agent, and he made a quick impact on the field in the first four games this season. He tallied an interception, forced fumble and recovery, two pass deflections, and nine tackles.
His return for late season games and the playoffs could provide a boost for the defense. Ryan played for two Super Bowl championship teams in New England, and he has 15 games of playoff experience overall.
He joins six other Bucs on injured reserve: linebacker Cam Gill, running backs Giovani Bernard and Kenjon Barner, and offensive linemen Ryan Jensen, Josh Wells, and Aaron Stinnie. Two of those players could return to practice this week — Bernard and Wells — according to head coach Todd Bowles.
“Hopefully Josh can start practicing. I don’t think Gio’s at that point,” Bowles told reporters on Monday, October 17.
Bucs Open Spots on Roster, Practice Squad
Ryan moving to injured reserve meanwhile opens one roster spot, and the Bucs also opened practice squad spot on Wednesday with the release of offensive tackle Justin Skule. The Bucs didn’t make signings for either open spot on Wednesday.
Skule, a sixth-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2019 out of Vanderbilt, played three seasons out west before joining the Bucs. He started 12 games in two seasons for the 49ers, which included the Super Bowl team in 2019. An ACL tear in June 2021 ended his season before it started last year, and the 49ers released him in August this year. The Bucs signed him to the practice squad in September.
Many More Bucs Injuries Still Lingering
Tampa Bay faces a multitude of needs amid injuries both offense and defense. On offense, Wide receiver Julio Jones remains out due to a knee injury, and tight end Cameron Brate sprained his neck in Week 6 — but suffered no neurological effects, Bowles confirmed.
“He has all his extremities moving well and he’s resting,” Bowles said. “That’s been the extent of it. Everything else came out negative. It turned out great for him.”
“It was good to see him,” Bowles said about Brate flying home with the team. “It was good for the guys to see him. It relieved a lot of people’s minds.”
On defense, the Bucs still have defensive backs Mike Edwards and Sean Murphy-Bunting dealing with injuries. Defensive end Akiem Hicks hasn’t played since Week 2 because of a foot injury.
Bowles couldn’t confirm if either Murphy-Bunting or Edwards could play in Week 7 at Carolina. Hicks remains all the more doubtful.
“He’s getting better. We’ve just got to see where he is. Until I see him run on the field, I don’t have that answer,” Bowles said.