NFL
Buccaneer's injury update ahead of TNF matchup with Eagles
With Tampa playing the early Thursday game in Week 6, Bruce Arians chose to rule out three previously listed players as he does not want to risk them against the Eagles.
While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a satisfactory 4-1 record after five weeks of play, the start of the 2021 regular season has not been easy for the reigning Super Bowl Champions on the injury front. And their casualty problems are not going to let up going into week 6.
Ahead of their trip to Philadelphia (2-3) for Thursday Night Football, the Bucs confirmed that Rob Gronkowski will remain unavailable for the game against the Eagles. It will be the third consecutive game that the veteran tight end will miss due to a rib injury he suffered in week 3 against the Rams.
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In addition to Gronkowski, the Buccaneers reported that linebacker Lavonte David and cornerback Antoine Winfield Jr. are also out of TNF. The former has been sidelined with ankle problems while the latter has been discharged due to concussion protocols. Neither player has trained this week in the lead up to Thursday’s game at Lincoln Financial Field.
With Tampa playing the early Thursday game in Week 6, Bruce Arians chose to rule out the three previously listed players as he does not want to risk them against them against the Eagles. But on the upside, the injured trio will have 10 days to recover on time for the Bucs’ Week 7 meeting with the Chicago Bears at Raymond James Stadium on 24 June (4.25pm ET).
Bucs’ injury crisis in aerial defence
The loss of Winfield is the Buccaneers' third in their secondary defense, with Carlton Davis and Sean Murphy-Bunting currently on IR with quadriceps and knee problems, respectively.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Philadelphia Eagles: when and how to watch
For the game against the Eagles, Arians will have to depend on Ross Cockrell, Richard Sherman, Jamel Dean, Dee Delaney, Pierre Desir, Andrew Adams, Jordan Whitehead and Mike Edwards.