This is how dire the injury situation has become for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Instead of holding a regular practice Wednesday, they were forced into a walk-through instead.
“We probably had more people that couldn’t practice than could practice,” said coach Todd Bowles.
The NFC South-leading Buccaneers (3-1), coming off their first loss of the season to defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia, will make a cross-country journey to face the Seattle Seahawks (3-1) on Sunday afternoon. Both teams are celebrating the 50th anniversaries of their 1976 expansion seasons and will wear throwback uniforms.
Who will be available to play for the Bucs remains to be seen.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield (knee/biceps) was among nine Bucs who didn’t participate in practice on Wednesday. That list also included running back Bucky Irving (foot/shoulder) and wide receivers Mike Evans (hamstring) and Sterling Shepherd (foot). On defense, nose tackle Greg Gaines (pectoral) and defensive backs Jamel Dean (hip), Christian Izien (quad), Benjamin Morrison (hamstring) and Tykee Smith (ankle) all sat out.
In all there are 16 players listed on Tampa Bay’s injury report this week.
“I mean (we had a) good walk-through tempo,” Mayfield said. “But yeah, I think guys are aware, they got the message. They understand what we’re trying to get done. Especially in an environment that we’re going to be stepping into. So, it’s clear and concise and the guys get it.”
Mayfield rallied the Bucs to victories in each of the first three weeks of the season, but they couldn’t overcome a three-touchdown deficit against the Eagles in falling 31-25.
“You’re not going to beat the Super Bowl champs turning the ball over three times,” Bowles said, including a blocked punt in his team’s turnover total. “The fight, we’re going to have it every week. But you can’t get behind the eight-ball, down 14-0 (eight minutes into the game) and expect to win. We’ve got to clean up the mistakes.”
The Seahawks have won three straight since a season-opening loss at home to San Francisco to move into a tie atop the NFC West. They defeated host Arizona 23-20 last Thursday with Jason Myers kicking a 52-yard field goal as time expired after they blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter.
Sam Darnold threw for 242 yards and a touchdown for Seattle. Signed in the offseason, he has 905 yards passing with five touchdowns and a 70% completion rate.
“I think it’s his decisiveness on how he’s playing,” said Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald. “He’s staying true to his reads and he’s rocking it when it’s there and when it’s not, he’s progressing and then checking it down or using his legs, and that’s what we’re asking him to do. And I think he’s doing it obviously at a really high level right now.”
Darnold and Mayfield have some history, as they were among the top picks in the 2018 draft. Mayfield went No. 1 to Cleveland and Darnold was the No. 3 selection by the New York Jets. Both bounced around and even played together on the Carolina Panthers during the 2022 season before finally finding homes in the NFL.
The Seahawks could be without defensive end Demarcus Lawrence, who suffered a quad injury early in last week’s victory. Offensive tackle Josh Jones (ankle), cornerback Devon Witherspoon (knee) and safety Julian Love (hamstring) also missed practice Wednesday.
–Field Level Media
