The Buccaneers have a few players that they will have to monitor closely as the season finale against the Atlanta Falcons draws near.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons released their first injury report of the week. Tampa Bay has a short injury report as only two players were unable to participate in Wednesday’s practice.
Defensive end Carl Nassib and wide receiver DeSean Jackson did not practice.
Nassib couldn’t go because of a shoulder injury. The former third-round pick of the Cleveland Browns has had a career year in Tampa Bay. Nassib’s 6.5 sacks on the season are a career high. The only Buccaneer who has gotten to the quarterback more is Jason Pierre-Paul.
With Noah Spence barely seeing the field and Vinny Curry missing time due to injury Nassib was a pleasant surprise for the Bucs. It would be a disappointment if he can’t play the final game of the season.
If he is unable to go, Bucs fans should expect to see him rush the passer in 2019 which will be a contract season for the Penn State product.
Jackson suffered an Achilles injury after he lost his shoe after he caught a pass down the middle of the field. The veteran has had some bad luck of late in regards to injuries. Hopefully, he can bring one more week of verticality to Tampa’s offense.
Gerald McCoy, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Demar Dotson practiced in a limited capacity on Wednesday. Throughout the season, these three have gotten some veterans rest so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them back at full health later in the week.
For the Falcons, a pair of their best offensive weapons were unable to practice to open up the week.
All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones and running back Tevin Coleman did not participate. It’s too early to tell what their status for Sunday will be, but with Atlanta out of the playoffs, they may sit them to avoid any severe injury.