Buccaneers place CB Carlton Davis on IR with quad injury

Carlton Davis‘ injury forced newcomer Richard Sherman into a full-time role in his first Buccaneers outing. The Bucs will be without their fourth-year starter for the foreseeable future.

Bruce Arians said this week Davis will not be back in action anytime soon due to the quadriceps injury he sustained, and the team placed the veteran cornerback on IR Thursday. This adds to a litany of Bucs injuries at this spot.

Sean Murphy-Bunting is already on IR, and Jamel Dean missed the Bucs’ Week 4 game due to an injury sustained against the Rams. Dean did get in a limited practice to start this week, representing a positive sign for a battered secondary. Davis will be down for at least the next three games. It will likely be a longer absence for Davis, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport noting a four- to six-week absence should be expected here (Twitter link).

A 2018 second-round pick, Davis has started 44 games since arriving in Tampa. He broke through with four interceptions last season and exited Sunday’s Patriots matchup grading as a top-10 corner this year, per Pro Football Focus. The Bucs ended the Pats game without their top three corners from last season. Should Dean be forced to miss another game with his knee malady, Sherman will lead a group also consisting of Ross Cockrell and Pierre Desir.