Getty Lavonte David suffered an ankle injury and did not return in Week 5.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have walked away with a win over the Miami Dolphins, but not without another injury to one of their main stars.
Lavonte David — the team’s longest-running captain — exited in the first half due to an ankle injury. After initially being considered questionable to return, Tampa Bay ruled him out for the remainder of the game.
However, the injury doesn’t appear to be too significant. X-rays following the game were negative for fractures for David, according to Jenna Laine of ESPN.
Source tells me that X-rays were negative for fractures for Lavonte David’s ankle.
David suffered the injury while attempting to try to deflect a pass from Dolphins quarterback Jacoby Brissett. However, David’s own teammate — the 313-pound Ndamukong Suh — ended up bending Davis’ leg backward.
The 31-year-old linebacker ended up walking off of the field on his own power.
Following the game, head coach Bruce Arians says David might have suffered a high-ankle sprain, according to Joey Knight of The Tampa Bay Times. However, that diagnosis is not set in stone.
The Buccaneers will likely release a more accurate prognosis on the severity of Davis’ injury once he undergoes more tests on Monday.
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Buccaneers Already Banged up With Injuries
The Buccaneers are already dealing with a plethora of injuries on the defensive end, mainly to their defensive backs. Cornerbacks Sean Murphy-Bunting and Carlton Davis III are currently on injured reserve with no timetable to return.
In addition, Antoine Winfield missed the Week 5 matchup versus the Dolphins due to a concussion while Rob Gronkowski continues to recover from rib injuries suffered two weeks prior in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams.
In other words, Tampa Bay can’t afford a severe injury to arguably their top defensive player.
Tom Brady’s Right Thumb Injury Versus Dolphins
Speaking of injuries, Tom Brady suffered one himself during the team’s 45-17 win over the Dolphins on Sunday, October 10.
The 44-year-old quarterback suffered a right thumb injury after his hand came down on a Dolphins defender’s helmet during the game.
It’s worth noting that Brady didn’t miss any snaps as a result of the injury. In fact, he had one of the best games of his career as he threw 411 yards and five touchdowns — the first time he’s accomplished that feat in his 22-year career.
Following the game, Brady had his right thumb wrapped up and addressed the injury.
“Yeah in my younger days I probably [would have] never showed you guys that I wrapped it up, because I’d probably try to keep it a secret, but I think in my old age I don’t care as much,” Brady said. “Yeah, I mean it’s just a kind of a football injury. So, do my best you know to get ready for this game. We’ll see what happens.”
While Brady is not committing to playing in Week 6 on Thursday night against the Philadelphia Eagles, it’s hard to envision a scenario where he doesn’t play. The veteran quarterback hasn’t missed a start since the 2008 season and he played through a torn ACL during the 2020 season.
The fact that Brady made little effort to hide the injury from reporters during postgame media availability only indicates that the injury isn’t that serious.