Bucs gets a mix of news with the latest week 17 injury report

The Bucs have a lot of injured players that we’ve all been watching closely this week. There were starters who practiced every day, there were starters who didn’t train at all, and there were others who were in one day and out the next.

Offensively, the tackling position was of great importance. Tristan Wirfs aggravated his ankle injury again and Donovan Smith did not play the last game due to a foot problem.

Defensively, Carlton Davis didn’t train all week with a shoulder injury, while Jamel Dean (toe) trained all week despite missing the final two. You also have Vita Vea (calf) and Carl Nassib (pectorals) working their way back from injury, while Rakeem Nunez-Roches (personal) and Anthony Nelson (sickness) also missed time this week.

So when Friday’s time came to announce which players were permanently eliminated for Sunday’s pivotal game against the Carolina Panthers, we heard something that hadn’t been said in a long time.

No. Zilch. Nada. Zero. Nobody.

That’s correct. Bowles is not ruling anyone out for a game in which the Bucs can conquer the NFC South.

Don’t get your hopes up just yet, Bucs fans. Many of these players, especially Smith and Vea, will be game time decisions. Bowles said “they’ll see on Sunday” for the two players mentioned above.

That said, Bowles officially listed only two players as questionable: Carlton Davis and Carl Nassib.

Davis has been healthy for most of the season, only missing weeks 7 and 8. Coincidentally, the Bucs then lost to the Panthers. He’s been playing really well lately in critically acclaimed games against receivers Ja’Marr Chase and DeAndre Hopkins. Davis was out all week with the shoulder problem.

Nassib has missed the past two weeks with a chest injury. He ran individually at the time, but could at least practice with his teammates this week. Fellow outside linebackers Anthony Nelson and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka really took on the responsibility of a light OLB room by playing 100 percent of snaps over the past two games.

When the injury report comes out, it looks like David and Nassib are in doubt to play questionable with many others. Here’s Friday’s injury report.

Bucs

CB Carlton Davis – Shoulder – Didn’t participate – Doubtful

OLB Carl Nassib – Pectoral Fins – Restricted Participation – Questionable

CB Jamel Dean – Toe – Restricted Participation – Doubtful

S Mike Edwards – Hamstring – Restricted Participation – Doubtful

WR Julio Jones – Knee – Restricted Participation – Doubtful

T Donovan Smith – Foot – Restricted Participation – Questionable

NT Vita Vea – Calf – Limited Participation – Questionable

S Antoine Winfield Jr. – Single – Limited participation – Questionable

QB Tom Brady – Halftime – Full Participation

LB Lavonte David – Rust – did not participate

DT Akiem Hicks – Rust – did not participate

OLB Anthony Nelson – Illness – Full Participation

NT Rakeem Nunez-Roches – Personal – Full Participation

TE Cade Otton – Quadriceps – Full participation

T Tristan Wirfs – Single – Full entry