Buccaneers Tight End Cameron Brate Diagnosed With Sprained Neck

Coach Todd Bowles didn’t explicitly say when the tight end will return to play.

Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate, who was carted off the field during Sunday’s 20–18 loss to the Steelers, has a sprained neck after further evaluations, coach Todd Bowles told the media on Monday.

Tampa Bay fans can breathe a sigh of relief with Monday’s diagnosis since fans saw a scary scene on Sunday when Brate was carted off. The team feared he suffered neurological issues after the neck injury, but fortunately, Brate was cleared from having any loss of sensation or nerve damage.

The tight end was even able to travel back on the team’s plane to Tampa Bay on Sunday, per the Tampa Bay Times.

The strained neck injury comes just two weeks after Brate suffered a concussion in Week 4’s game against the Chiefs. He missed Week 5’s game vs. the Falcons with the concussion.

Bowles didn’t provide any additional information regarding the return timeline for Brate, although it’s expected that he will at least miss this upcoming Sunday’s matchup vs. the Panthers.

In five games, Brate has 13 catches in 22 attempts for 114 yards. He took over the starting tight end role this year after Rob Gronkowski retired in the offseason.

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