Buccaneers Place Three Defenders on Reserve/COVID-19 List

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be without two starting linebackers and a defensive tackle against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have placed linebackers, inside LB Devin White and outside LB Shaq Barrett, on the reserve/COVID-19 list, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Neither will play on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, in Tampa Bay's regular-season finale.

UPDATE: White tested positive for COVID-19 while Barrett landed on the COVID-19 list as a close contact only, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Barrett would be on track to return for the wild-card round if he keeps testing negative, Pelissero reported.

Barrett's wife posted on Instagram that Barrett should be back for the NFL playoffs next week when the Bucs travel for a wildcard game.

"We were not the ones who were reckless and exposed the team," Jordanna Barrett wrote on Instagram. "So to the fans mad... some things are out of our control. It is what it is. Shaquil will be back for the playoffs."

As for White, he wrote in a tweet, which was later deleted, that he too will be back for the postseason, despite the report that he had tested positive for COVID-19.

"I have had the same routine all season long... Going to practice and straight home" White wrote in the since-deleted tweet. "I feel perfectly fine [and] I will be back for the playoff game." 

NFL protocol says that players who test positive for COVID-19 would miss 10 days of activities and must be cleared to return by testing negative. Should one, two, or all three of the players have their COVID-19 testing results confirmed positive, which the team could not disclose, their status could be in jeopardy for the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

Defensive tackle Steve McClendon has also been placed on the COVID-19 list, per Stroud. He will also miss Sunday's game.

Stroud reports that both White and Barrett did not practice with the team on Friday.

White leads the Buccaneers in tackles this season, with 140 total, adding nine sacks, 15 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and four pass breakups. Barrett has recorded eight sacks, 11 tackles for loss, 57 total tackles, two forced fumbles, and three defended passes in 2020.

The Buccaneers plan on having running back Ronald Jones II available against the Falcons= after he was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list on Tuesday. Jones missed the last two games while on the list and also suffering from a fractured pinky.