Not only did the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lose to the 49ers 27-14 on Sunday, but they also lost three defensive starters in the process. Cornerbacks Jamel Dean and Carlton Davis both left the game with injuries as well as linebacker Lavonte David.
Dean was the first one to be ruled out after injuring what appeared to be a left foot injury. He was seen exiting the field on a cart headed for the locker room with his left foot wrapped up. Earlier in the game he had to leave the field for a few plays after he let up a 76-yard touchdown, with what looked like to be a case of the wind knocked out of him after landing hard. Zyon McCollum replaced him for the remainder of the game.
While the timeline of his injury is unknown, Buccaneers' head coach Todd Bowles did confirm on Monday he is dealing with an ankle injury.
"It’s an ankle," Bowels said, while also acknowledging he was hurt earlier in the game as well. "There were two different things. He got hurt on the long touchdown pass.”
On Wednesday morning, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported some more positive news regarding Dean’s recovery and his status moving forward.
Next up was David, the team captain and the heart and soul of the defense. The veteran linebacker dropped to the ground just before the 49ers' final touchdown. He was quickly ruled out with a hip injury and was replaced by rookie SirVocea Dennis. It has since been discovered that David is actually dealing with a groin injury.
Davis's injury was more of a surprise as he was ruled out after the defense had left the field. Following the Bucs' second touchdown of the game, Davis was ruled out with a hip injury as well. Rookie corner Josh Hayes replaced him in the lineup.
On Monday Bowles said that all three would be undergoing MRIs to discover the extent of the injuries and that all were pretty sore coming out of the loss.
“They’re pretty sore right now," Bowles said. "They’re still getting test runs so, we’ll have an answer as soon as the tests come back.”
The Bucs can't afford to be down any of them for an extended period of time. Especially with the schedule softening up. If any or all cannot go, the Bucs will need to rely on more young talent to hold down the fort until they can return.
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