Buccaneers DB Curtis Riley Suffers 'Slight' Achilles Tear

Curtis Riley faces an uphill battle to make the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' roster following an injury in practice.

Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians shared on Thursday that safety Curtis Riley suffered an Achilles injury on the second day of Tampa Bay's mandatory minicamp.

"He's got a slight Achilles tear when he jumped up and got that interception," Arians said. "So, I'll see how bad it is and if it needs to be operated or not."

During the second minicamp practice, Riley got tangled up with tight end Rob Gronkowski and linebacker Kevin Minter in coverage. After going down with the injury, a cart was summoned to take Riley off of the field.

Riley signed with the Buccaneers in May after stints with the Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, and Minnesota Vikings. Riley tried out for the team during Tampa Bay's rookie minicamp.

Across 49 career appearances, Riley has accumulated 131 tackles, five interceptions, eight pass breakups and a forced fumble. He's also logged 488 snaps on special teams. 

Riley had been expected to compete for Tampa Bay's fourth safety position and a spot on the Buccaneers' special teams units before his injury occurred. With several veterans and undrafted rookies and young players battling for the same role - Javon Hagan, Raven Greene, Augie Contressa and Lawrence White IV - Riley faces an uphill battle to make the Buccaneers' final roster should he be healthy enough to compete come training camp.

Along with confirming Riley's injury, Arians told media that starting cornerback Jamel Dean bruised his knee "a little bit" and may be dealing with a minor sprain.