Not only are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers heading to Atlanta on a short week, but they're doing so significantly shorthanded.
For the fourth straight week, the Bucs will be without All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr., who suffered a foot injury in the closing minutes of the team's Week 1 win over Washington. So far, Tampa Bay has been able to get by without him, but the gauntlet of games they're about to enter will put his absence to the test.
Atlanta is looking to punch back at the Bucs after they were denied a playoff spot largely due to how things went the last time these two teams met. The Falcons spent over $180 million and gave up future draft picks to bring in guys like Kirk Cousins, Justin Simmons, and Matthew Judon to help them dethrone Tampa Bay in the NFC South.
They'll get their first crack at doing that on Thursday night, but while the Bucs are heading to Atlanta depleted, they still have the magic of Baker Mayfield and the offense to lean on.
Full inactives list for Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5
We already knew the Buccaneers would be without five key players due to injury, but for the second straight week punter Jake Camarda has been made inactive. This comes as he's struggled to find his groove to start the season, and as questions about his future in Tampa Bay begin to seriously get asked.
Camarda was benched last week against the Eagles due to poor performance, but it's hard to read too much into him being made inactive again. It's a short week, so perhaps that's part of what is playing into this, but it's worth keeping an eye on whether or not he's worked back into the mix as the Bucs head into a 10-day break after tonight.
Player | Position | Injury |
|---|---|---|
Antoine Winfield Jr. | S | Foot |
Luke Goedeke | OT | Concussion |
Jake Camarda | P | N/A |
Jalen McMillan | WR | Hamstring |
Trey Palmer | WR | Concussion |
Calijah Kancey | DE | Calf |
Devin Culp | TE | N/A |
Not everything about the inactive list is negative. Rookie tight end Devin Culp was ruled inactive, which means linebacker Jose Ramirez has been activated to the 53-man roster and will be available to play. This is siginficant because it means he could finally make his NFL debut under the bright lights of primetime and potentially make a meaningful impact in an important divisional game.
It won't be an easy matchup for the Bucs, though. Not only is the defense missing some key players but Luke Goedeke will once again be out and is joined by Jalen McMillan and Trey Palmer. That's why we might see more of Sterling Shepard that we're used to seeing, as he was added to the 53-man roster earlier in the week
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