Tampa Bay Buccaneers inactives list for Week 14 game vs. Raiders
- Bucs defense continues to get ravaged by injuries
- Two starting ILBs will be out
- Latest Bucky Irving update ahead of kickoff
By Josh Hill
If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to pull off a third straight win, they will need to do it short-handed. The Bucs' defensive depth is being tested in a big way on Sunday, as six players have been ruled inactive, with the inside linebacker position being hammered particularly hard by injuries.
All season long, the Bucs have been dealing with injuries to key players, as guys like Antoine Winfield Jr., Mike Evans, and Vita Vea have all missed time. Tristan Wirfs returned from an MCL injury last week that he suffered in the Week 10 loss to San Francisco, and the team is still without Chris Godwin, who is out for the rest of the season with a dislocated ankle.
Those injuries, specifically on the defensive side, have made winning a lot harder than it already was for the Bucs. Last week, the team escaped with an overtime victory over the Panthers, and things might not be much easier against a bad Raiders team this week, thanks to all of the injuries piling up in Tampa Bay.
Full inactives list for Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 14 vs. Raiders
The Bucs will be missing two starting inside linebackers on Sunday, as both K.J. Britt and J.J. Russell were ruled out over the weekend. Markees Watts is also out, which means Tampa Bay is going to be leaning on Vi Jones and Antonio Grier to fill the gap.
Another blow is being felt in the secondary, where Mike Edwards and Josh Hayes have been ruled out. They join Jordan Whitehead as players who won't be active and further highlights how depleted an already tight secondary is. The defense hasn't played well, but it's hard to expect much out of unit as banged up as Tampa Bay's is to play at a high level.
Here's a look at everyone who has been ruled out for Sunday's game:
Player | Position | Injury |
|---|---|---|
Joe Tryon-Shoyinka | OLB | Ankle |
Troy Hill | CB | Knee |
Mike Edwards | S | Hamstring |
Markees Watts | ILB | Knee |
J.J. Russell | ILB | Hamstring |
K.J. Britt | ILB | Ankle |
Josh Hayes | CB | Hamstring |
The good news is that offensively things look a lot better in terms of the injury report. Bucky Irving suffered a hip injury in last week's win over Carolina and was seen bandaged up after the game. He was questionable all week but is active and ready to play.
MIke Evans and Baker Mayfield were also on the injury report this week, but both of them are good to go as well.
feed