2 min read • January 05, 2021
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Running Backs - Ronald Jones II suffered a broken pinky in Week 14, and had a good shot to play before being placed on Reserve/COVID list. He has missed the past three weeks, and last week sat out with a quad injury. The silver lining is that he has had time to heal his pinky, though it will still likely be braced, taped or pinned upon his return. This could affect his pass-catching abilities, though it would not likely contribute to ball security issues. He split carries with Fournette in the Divisional Round, and is set to reclaim more of his carries moving forward.
Leonard Fournette has really stepped up in recent weeks with Ronald Jones on the Reserve/COVID list, and he has appeared to put the ankle issues from earlier this year behind him. It is concerning that the ankle was a lingering injury, and his yards/attempt have only eclipsed 4.0 in two games this year but his value as a power runner and receiver make him a good fit in this offense regardless.
Wide Receivers - Mike Evans has pushed through ankle and hamstring issues all year, and the Buccaneers’ leading receiver went down with a hyperextended knee injury in Week 17. Despite questions about his readiness ahead of the playoffs, he has been a major factor in this passing game
Chris Godwin began the year with a slew of injuries, missing 4 games due to a concussion, and eventually finger and hamstring issues. He has put all that behind him and is rounding out a solid campaign here at the end of the regular season, and is the team’s second leading receiver, even with Antonio Brown in the mix.
Antonio Brown went down with a knee injury in the Divisional Round, and did not return to the game. He had and MRI and has yet to practice this week. He could just be getting rest and could still play, but he is worth keeping an eye on.
Tight Ends - OJ Howard is a valuable pass-catching tight end, but he will be unavailable until 2021 after an Achilles tear that unfortunately ended his season in Week 3. Rob Gronkowski has taken over all starting snaps at tight end, and is the team’s fourth-leading receiver.
Offensive Lineman - Left tackle Donovan Smith missed Week 15 on the Reserve/COVID list but has returned to play and should be a full go for the playoffs.
Ali Marpet, the Bucs longtime guard missed two games with a concussion in Weeks 11 and 12. While he has since returned to play, this is worth monitoring, as the two weeks absence points to a somewhat significant concussion, that was not too far in the past.
A.Q. Shipley, the veteran center, has been placed on Injured Reserve with a neck injury. His season is unfortunately over and possibly his career, meaning the Bucs have moved forward with Ryan Jensen at center.
Linebackers - Devin White was identified as positive with COVID-19 and will miss the Wild Card game against the Washington Football team. Shaquil Barrett and Steve McLendon sat out Week 17 after being identified as close contacts to White, but should return next week pending negative tests. These 3 key defenders are essential to their scheme, and White will surely be missed on Saturday.
Defensive Lineman - Vita Vea, the Buccaneers’ promising young nose tackle had his season cut short when he fractured his leg in Week 4. He will be back in 2021 but they’ve been able to rely on the presences of Ndamukong Suh and William Gholston up front this year.
Cornerbacks - Carlton Davis, the Bucs number one corner, has missed the last couple weeks due to a groin injury and is in danger of missing the Wild Card game which would be a big blow to the Buccaneers defense. Jamel Dean is an important depth corner in this secondary, and he missed Week 12 with a concussion earlier this year. The Week 13 BYE certainly helped, and he has since returned to play but a concussion is nothing to ignore moving into the playoffs.
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