Getty Richard Sherman sustained a hamstring injury against Philadelphia in Week 6.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got some hopeful news to start the week regarding cornerback Richard Sherman‘s hamstring injury.
Sherman’s MRI came back with anticipated results, meaning he will miss only “a couple weeks,” according to a source of NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Monday, October 18.
“Barring a setback, no plans to put him on Injured Reserve,” Rapoport wrote.
Following up on an injury from Thursday: #Bucs CB Richard Sherman’s MRI on his ailing hamstring over the weekend confirmed the initial diagnosis, source said. He’s out a couple weeks. Barring a setback, no plans to put him on Injured Reserve.
Sherman injured the hamstring in Tampa Bay’s Week 6 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on October 14. His injury occurred in the first quarter of the game, and “the swiftness in which the Bucs ruled Sherman out of the game suggested the damage could be severe,” NFL.com’s Kevin Patra noted.
The day after, Sherman assured fans on social media and his podcast that he will return soon. He recently signed with the Bucs in late September because of an injured-riddled secondary.
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Injuries a Problem of Late for Sherman
In 2020, Sherman dealt with a calf injury that kept him sidelined most of the season.
Sherman played all but four snaps in the 2020 opener but sustained a leg injury as reported at the time according to USA Today’s Niners Wire. The 49ers placed him on injured reserve per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo with the expectation that he could return in three weeks.
It went much longer than three weeks for Sherman as he “suffered a setback” according to Sporting News’ Billy Heyen. Sherman didn’t return until November 29, 2020, against the Los Angeles Rams. He played the final four games of the season and finished with 16 tackles and an interception for the year.
Sherman hasn’t played a full season since 2016, a stretch that included seven games missed in 2017 due to an Achilles injury. He played 14 games the following year and 15 in 2019.
Bruce Arians: No More Moves
Bucs head coach Bruce Arians downplayed looking for another cornerback to bring in while Sherman sits and most of the starting secondary looks like a MASH unit.
“No, we just keep playing with the guys we got and see what happens,” Arians said after the win over the Eagles. “See how long (of an) injury it is and next man up.”
Rumors of the Bucs making a trade before the Nov. 2 deadline already surfaced before the Sherman injury. Bleacher Report’s Chris Roling floated trading tight end O.J. Howard for Minnesota Vikings cornerback Cameron Dantzler. New York Jets safety Marcus Maye surfaced as a trade target according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Secondary Status for Bucs
Tampa Bay received a 10-day break with the Thursday night game on October 14. The Bucs play again on Sunday against the Chicago Bears. Bucs defensive backs had plenty of healing ahead in the interim.
Safety Antoine Winfield Jr. , who sustained a concussion against the New England Patriots on October 3, could return for the Bears game. The second-year safety from Minnesota has an interception, a forced fumble, two pass breakups, and 25 tackles this season.
“Hopefully we’ll have Antoine back, for sure,” Arians told the media on October 15 via Sports Illustrated’s All Bucs. “He was pretty close before we left. Get him out of the protocol hopefully. At that point, I don’t know who else who might be back. It’s still going to be a crapshoot that way.”
Cornerbacks Sean Murphy-Bunting and Carlton Davis III remain out. Jamel Dean hurt his knee in Week 3 but has played in the last two games, grabbing a couple interceptions along the way.