Getty Todd Bowles could have a decimated secondary against the New Orleans Saints.
Amid the news of Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Logan Ryan returning from injured reserve, things didn’t get any prettier with a slew of key players on the first injury report of the week.
Five Bucs starters didn’t participate in practice on Thursday, December 1, among the 10 players overall on the injury report. Tight end Cameron Brate (illness), safety Mike Edwards (hamstring), nose tackle Vita Vea (foot), safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (ankle), and tackle Tristan Wirfs (ankle/knee) all sat out.
Tampa Bay’s secondary could take a major hit in particular as head coach Todd Bowles couldn’t confirm if Winfield or Edwards will play on December 5 against the New Orleans Saints.
“Well, they didn’t practice. Right now, until we see something better later in the week, we’re planning to go with the other guys,” Bowles told reporters on Thursday.
First injury report for Bucs and Saints today. New Orleans has quite a list. For Bucs, Edwards has a hamstring, Murphy-Bunting a quad injury.
Wirfs won’t play versus the Saints due to his injury against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, November 27. Vea and Brate, who both played against the Browns, could return for the Saints game.
Three injured Bucs practiced in limited capacity: wide receiver Russell Gage Jr. (hamstring), guard Luke Goedeke (foot), and cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting (quad). Running back Leonard Fournette (hip) returned to full participation after missing the Browns game. Guard Nick Leverett also had full participation despite a shoulder injury.
Ryan Returns to Practice
Ryan also returned to practice on Thursday, a day after the Bucs designated him to return from IR, due to a foot fracture in Week 4 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Ryan can practice and not count toward the 53-man roster during the next three weeks. The Bucs could activate Ryan to play against the Saints, but Bowles wouldn’t commit to a final decision.
“It’s possible,” Bowles said. “We’ve got to see a couple more days of practice before we do that, though — but he moved around well.”
Ryan signed with the Bucs as a free agent in the offseason, and he made an immediate impact this fall. He tallied 10 tackles, an interception and two pass deflections in less than four games played.
Josh Wells, Brandon Walton to Fill Wirfs Void
Wirfs leaves arguably the biggest hole on offense for the Bucs. Reserve tackle Josh Wells will fill that role primarily. Fellow reserve tackle Brandon Walton could rotate in, Bowles said.
“Josh is tough,” Bowles said. “He’s played in the game a long time. He’s not Tristan [Wirfs] obviously. He just has to make sure he does the things that he knows how to do and makes sure he plays his ballgame.”
“He doesn’t have to try to be anybody else,” Bowles added. “He’s tough, he understands the game well, he understands the scheme and the game plan. We expect him to step in and play well.”
Injuries on the offensive line plagued the Bucs from day one of training camp with a knee injury to center Ryan Jensen followed by Aaron Stinnie‘s ACL tear. Tackle Donovan Smith also dealt with an elbow injury in Week 1, and he missed two games. Bowles won’t use it as an excuse for a 5-6 overall record though.
“It’s just about getting in sync,” Bowles said. “They’ve kind of taken the place of the DBs last year — we’re plugging guys in and playing them. But they understand the scheme and we just have to play better there.”