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Buccaneers: Justin Evans, Alan Cross placed on IR

By Ryan Doyle

CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 04: Justin Evans #21 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stops Christian McCaffrey #22 of the Carolina Panthers short of the goal line during the first half of their game at Bank of America Stadium on November 4, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 04: Justin Evans #21 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stops Christian McCaffrey #22 of the Carolina Panthers short of the goal line during the first half of their game at Bank of America Stadium on November 4, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers decided to shut down a pair of players for the remainder of the 2018 campaign.

Justin Evans and Alan Cross won’t suit up for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the rest of the season. The organization announced that both players would head to the injured reserve on Tuesday.

Evans has missed the past two games with a toe injury that he reaggravated in the Week 13 win over the Carolina Panthers. Evans missed another two games dealing with the toe as well.

In his second season, the expectations were high for Evans. However, injuries to other defensive backs and young cornerbacks made it difficult to gauge his development.

There were a few signs that showed Evans could become a long-term answer in the Bucs secondary. According to Pro Football Focus, he cut down on his missed tackles, something he had an issue with coming out of college.

Evans was never afraid to hit, but he was extremely aggressive, and ball carriers used it to their advantage. Evans had 10 missed tackles last season compared to just four this year. He also saw an improvement in PFF’s tackling and coverage metrics.

Cross injured his shoulder against the Ravens and won’t be back for the rest of the season. The Bucs will be without “Honcho” services as a fullback and special teams player for the rest of the season.

This marks the second tight end to see his season end prematurely. Tampa Bay sent O.J. Howard to the IR after suffering an ankle injury.

Cross will enter restricted free agency in 2019, so general manager Jason Licht will have to decide if he wants to keep a key special teamer and glue guy around for another season.

In a corresponding move, the Bucs promoted tight end Donnie Ernsberger to the active roster. Ernsberger was with the Buccaneers in training camp, but an injury would keep him off of the active roster. He returned to the team’s practice squad this past month.

Next. Buccaneers: 5 potential cap casualties in 2019. dark

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