Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tight End Payne Durham Suffers Knee Injury
Former Purdue tight end suffered a knee injury during practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday. Coach Todd Bowles announced the news, saying he's uncertain of the severity.
Durham, 24, was a fifth-round pick by the Buccaneers in the 2023 NFL Draft. He appeared in 13 games during his rookie season in Tampa Bay, finishing the year with five catches for 58 yards.
Durham played in Tampa Bay's preseason opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday, Aug. 10. He ended the game with two catches on two targets for 27 yards. The Buccaneers defeated the Bengals 17-14.
Tests are being done on Durham's knee to determine the severity of the injury. No other details regarding the tight end's injury were provided at the time of the report.
HC Todd Bowles said TE Payne Durham sustained a knee injury in practice but he doesn’t know the severity of it yet.
— Scott Smith (@ScottSBucs) August 14, 2024
Durham played under Jeff Brohm at Purdue for five seasons (2018-22). Over the courst of his career in West Lafayette, he transformed into one of the best tight ends in the Big Ten, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2022.
In his senior season, Durham enjoyed the best year of his career. He totaled 56 receptions for 560 yards and eight touchdowns. He helped lead the Boilermakers to a Big Ten West title and a trip to the conference championship game against Michigan.
Durham hauled in a total of 126 receptions for 1,275 yards and 21 touchdowns in his career with the Boilermakers. He averaged 10.1 yards per catch in his career.
Tampa Bay's second preseason game is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 17, playing the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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DUSTIN SCHUTTE