Bucs head coach Todd Bowles didn’t reveal much in terms of the current health of his banged up Bucs ‘backers on Monday.
With starters Lavonte David and Devin White missing in action from the team’s 21-18 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday due to groin and foot injuries, respectively, reserves K.J. Britt and J.J. Russell were pressed into duty.
Rookie SirVocea Dennis, who got his first NFL start in place of David the week prior at Indianapolis, missed all of last week’s practices due to illness, and was also inactive for the game. Dennis notched six tackles against the Colts and has 11 on the year.
Britt only managed seven snaps before suffering a back injury that knocked him out of the rest of Panthers game. Safety Ryan Neal had to move to inside linebacker for the rest of the game with Russell calling the defense in place of Britt.
So where do things stand at the inside linebacker position for Bowles and the Bucs heading into a huge game at Atlanta this week against the NFC South-leading Falcons?
“Hopefully, Lavonte will be close,” Bowles said. “We’ll see if he makes progress this week, so that will be a big plus for us. The rest of them, we have to see about.”
Bowles added that Dennis, who is fully recovered from his illness, will be available for the Falcons game.
“He should be fine, too,” Bowles said.
But where does that leave the rest of the Bucs inside ‘backers?
Bucs Are Hopeful That Lavonte David And SirVocea Dennis Will Start
Lavonte David has missed the last two games due to a groin strain he suffered late in the 49ers game and he is expected to return to practice this week in some capacity. If David can progress from limited early in the week to full participation by week’s end, he should be able to return to the starting lineup.
That means that David and SirVocea Dennis could start against the Falcons with a healthy J.J. Russell also available. Given Russell’s very good showing against the Panthers with seven tackles (six solo) and a sack, Todd Bowles could opt for him this week over David due to the 33-year old’s health, or if Bowles feels Russell has a better week of practice than Dennis does.
Devin White has been battling a foot injury for several weeks and that, in part, has led to some poor play on the field. White had one of his worst games of the season in a 27-20 loss against the Colts in Indianapolis and didn’t practice last week. The Bucs will monitor the injury and could hold White out this week – even if he makes progress and is able to return to practice to some degree.
White has 69 tackles and three tackles for loss this season, in addition to two sacks and an interception. David leads the Bucs with 90 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and has three sacks and a forced fumble.
In a new PR Roundtable, the Pewter Reporters suggested that the Bucs bench White when he returns from his injury due to poor play.
As for K.J. Britt, who suffered a back injury seven plays into the win over Carolina, the results from the MRI are encouraging and there is an outside chance that he could play on Sunday depending on if he can return to practice this week.
Bowles will be providing a further health update about his inside linebackers to the media after Wednesday’s practice at the team headquarters
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