Once again the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are preparing for a game without Bucky Irving in the mix, but that's apparently going to change very soon.
Irving has been out since Week 4, when he suffered a foot injury that turned into a shoulder injury that ultimately led to him missing eight weeks of action. It was an absence that reportedly took a mental took on Bucky off the field, but it's one that ESPN's Adam Schefter says it about to end.
While he's already been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Rams, the expectation is that Bucky Irving long-awaited return to the Buccaneers' lineup will happen next week.
“Bucky Irving, who has not played since Week 4 vs. the Eagles due to shoulder and foot injuries, is expected to make his return next Sunday vs. the Arizona Cardinals, per sources,” Schefter reported. “Irving looked strong at practice this week and might have been able to play vs. the Rams, but the team decided to hold him out, give him one more week and have him return next Sunday.”
There's still a lot of time between now and then for things to change, but this is much-needed good news on a number of different fronts.
Despite reports to the contrary, Bucky Irving is expected to return in Week 13
Earlier in the week, ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio reported on his show that something off-field was keeping Irving from returning to action. The implications were borderline irresponsible, as it opened the door to reckless speculation about Irving's mental health, with Florio noting that based on what he'd heard, Irving wouldn't be returning to the Buccaneers "anytime soon".
While we've yet to officially see Bucky return, it seems that Florio's attempt to stir something up failed. For what it's worth, Rondé Barber also reported that he'd heard about something that Bucky was dealing with that wasn't injury-related, so while it's easy to throw stones at Florio he wasn't alone.
Reporters like Rick Stroud and Greg Auman -- who are actually plugged into that team, unlike Florio -- noted that the struggle for Irving was more than physical, reporting that he wasn't taking his first extended abesence from action well.
Todd Bowles pushed back on this, stating that Bucky didn't take the injury well but wasn' dealing with anything away from the field.
All of that is to say it's been a bizarre journey to this point. Bucky has proven to be an essential piece of Tampa Bay's offense and his absence has been felt, but now it appears he's going to finally get back into the mix.
Given how it seems he's struggled with being away from the team, the fact that he'll be making his return in front of a home crowd in Week 13 makes it an even sweeter re-introduction.
It comes at the exact right time from a football perspective as well.
The Bucs are reeling from yet another midseason slump, but are still well within reach of another NFC South title. After Sunday night's game against the Rams, Tampa Bay's schedule loosens up a bit, and getting someone as crucial as Bucky back is key to the team pulling itself back up and proving it can be a Super Bowl contender.
Fantasy Football owners will also gladly welcome Bucky back into the fold just in time for playoff pushes of their own, as well.