A concerning veteran absence looms for the Bucs, if Thursday is any indication.
The Bucs might be without one of their top defensive starters Sunday.
Carlton Davis suffered a toe injury against the Minnesota Vikings, and it’s held him out of practices so far this week. If he needs to sit, the secondary will be tested with Zyon McCollum likely getting the spot start.
McCollum has been extremely up and down in his young career, proving more reliable on special teams, so it will require others like Jamel Dean and the safety duo of Ryan Neal and Antoine Winfield Jr. to be on their A games to help make up for any deficiencies.
Calijah Kancey also did not participate Thursday due to his re-aggravated calf injury, so it seems likely that he will take an extra week to ensure he’s as healthy as possible. Another rookie is seemingly dealing with an injury of his own, as linebacker SirVocea Dennis was added to the report with a limited designation due to his hamstring. If Dennis misses the game, that would likely mean a practice squad callup of some kind for additional depth on defense and special teams.
On a positive note, rookie nickelback Christian Izien did participate in a limited fashion as he works his way through concussion protocol. While it’s no guarantee he clears before Sunday, getting upgraded from DNP after just one day is encouraging.
Baker Mayfield also continued his full participation despite a listed shoulder injury. He should be fine for Sunday.
On the flip side, Chicago Bears are dealing with serious issues in their secondary as well. They were forced to place promising sophomore Kyler Gordon on injured reserve due to a hand issue, guaranteeing his absence from Sunday’s game.
Their slot corner, Josh Blackwell, went from limited to DNP on Thursday due to a hamstring injury. Going the opposite direction with soft tissue problems is never a good sign. With just Jaylon Johnson as an established starter, the Bucs offense could be poised to soar in the passing game given how good Mike Evans and Chris Godwin looked in Minnesota.
The full report is listed below:
