Injuries Continue to Mount for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Carlton Davis. Mike Edwards. Logan Ryan. Sean Murphy-Bunting. Chris Godwin. Julio Jones. Cameron Brate. Akiem Hicks. Ryan Jensen.
Those are the names of Tampa Bay Buccaneers players who either didn’t play Sunday vs. the Atlanta Falcons or left the game at some point due to injury.
As far as position groups go, the Buccaneers’ secondary seemed to take the brunt of the damage in this game. Carlton Davis exited the contest with a hip injury and didn’t return. His replacement, Sean Murphy-Bunting, was forced to leave the game shortly thereafter. Mike Edwards, a player who has really emerged as a weapon on the back end of the Bucs' defense, also left the field in the second half with what appeared to be an arm injury. And Logan Ryan, a player whose role was really beginning to increase after proving to be highly productive in his limited snaps over the first few games of the season, didn’t even dress for this one, as he continues to work his way back from a hamstring injury.
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When asked about the status of his defensive backs in Monday's press conference, head coach, Todd Bowles, had the following to say:
"Not yet. Just sore. So we'll see how the week goes, and see if they progress any, start to play on Sunday. Sean is [getting an MRI], I'm not sure about Carlton. I don't think he is. I think [Mike Edwards] should be okay."
On the other side of the ball, oft-injured wide receiver, Julio Jones was declared out shortly before kickoff, despite returning from a knee injury the previous week vs. the Chiefs. Which leads one to speculate that maybe he should’ve stayed off the field until he was healthy, as opposed to returning without being fully healthy, and landing right back on the shelf.
Bowles also addressed this during his presser.
"We want [Julio] fully healthy. Not coming out for a week then missing another couple weeks. We think we've got enough guys to weather that storm."
Chris Godwin on the other hand, looked fantastic in the first half – where he played almost every snap – on his way to recording 5 catches for 58 yards by intermission. However, when the second half came around, he could be found on the sidelines for the vast majority, with the exception of one snap (to my count) in the third quarter. As the Bucs’ offense continued to sputter without him -- stacking up 3–and-outs like Godwin does catches when he’s in the game -- he returned for the Buccaneers’ final drive, where he recorded a two-yard reception.
It was strange to see Godwin on the sidelines for the bulk of the second half, in a helmet and full uniform no-less, while the Falcons were threatening. Was he hurt? Was this precautionary? The mystery becomes all the more perplexing when you consider the fact that he did rejoin his teammates in the huddle for a few plays when the game was winding down.
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Speaking of mysteries, we've yet to receive any sort of clear diagnosis regarding Ryan Jensen's knee injury. You know, the one that occurred almost three months ago? What we know is that Jensen is out for the foreseeable future, so at this point of the season, it's not really worth discussing -- especially when we don't know what the exact nature of the injury is.
Bowles also addressed Akiem Hicks' injury today, and the implication that maybe he should've been placed on the IR.
"I'll believe it when I see it, ya know. We thought he'd healed a little bit earlier than he did. It's kind of a week-by-week thing right now with him."
In terms of Cam Brate, the Bucs' starting tight end continues to remain in concussion protocols, as he recovers from a hard collision with teammate, Chris Godwin, suffered during the team's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in week 4.
As is the case with concussions, time is the best medicine. And although you never want to see an injury result in a player losing his spot on the depth chart, the Bucs should strongly consider bumping Brate down in favor of rookie Cade Otton, who appears to have all of the pass-catching ability that Brate does, while already proving to be far more competent as a blocker. Otton looked fantastic on Sunday vs. the Falcons, and there's no reason to think he won't continue to improve as his rookie season rolls along.
We'll get a clearer picture of how the plethora of banged-up Buccaneers are coming along with their injuries as practice resumes on Tuesday, and the team's Week 6 matchup vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers draws nearer over the course of the next week.
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