Roster Moves & Injury Updates | Bucs Insider

the live comments section underneath it. That's where we can get to your questions as we give people a chance to do that. I wanted to first start out with some of the news of the week. There were definitely some roster moves that happened, so tell us what those are and what those implications might mean. I think the key move is the promotion of Rashard Robinson from the

practice squad to the active roster. He's already played in three games, even though he's only been on the practice squad because of these elevations, but you only get two standard elevations for any player. He played a third one as a COVID replacement. So barring what we don't want guys being placed on the COVID list, there was no option to bring him up anymore. If you wanted him to play on game days, you had to sign him

to the active roster, and obviously the Buccaneers him. He's both as a special teamer where he's done well, but also has another option at cornerback. He hasn't gotten in on defense yet, but he but he's looked good on the practice fiel according to Bruce Arians. So it's just another option at a position where Bucks have been shuffling through a lot of options. And to make room for him, the Buccaneers released Jaden Mickens, who has been their primary

kick and punt return Um. And yeah, the punt and kick return thing is going to be so interesting to see. And I know that that was what everybody was excited to see about Jalen Darden, right that this was why we knew there were just such an emphasis in the draft about special teams overall, whether it was coverage guys or bringing him in. Um, we knew that wide receiver was probably not going to be where we saw his

impact early on based on how deep that room was. So, UM, what do you think this says about maybe the progress he's made and their hopes for him moving forward. Yeah, they've always liked what he can do because he's got such good lateral movement and shorter a quickness and it just makes for what should be a good punt returner. He's secure catching the ball. I think just at the beginning of the season they were a little concerned that they didn't want the moment to be too big for him.

You know, there were some really big, high profile games like the Dallas kickoff game to start the season, and I think they just felt a little more comfortable with the steady veteran back there. But now coach says that he said that he's totally comfortable with Jim Darden as the kick returner going forward. So I think that's what we're gonna see, Um, And I'm excited about that because

I think there's some big play possibility there. And and to your point about putting a lot of work in this offseason on special teams, Jeff and I had Kevin Minter on our Saltidogs podcast, which just went up this morning, so check it out please, um, and he was talking about how the special teams are are much improved this year, and he gives most of that credit to the young guys the guys have just stepped right in and played awesome from the beginning, like kJ Britt and Grant Stewart

and Joe Tryon's so apparently what the Buccaneers tried to do in the offseason with those additions is working out so far. Yeah, and uh, you know they're they've already had to be a lot of different moves made because of injury. And you mentioned the practice squad elevation or or so, um, give us kind of a large scale injury update which could take me. I feel like with how many people are on it, so what do we know?

What do we not know? When might we know more? Well, it might take weeks to break it all down if we knew more. But Coach, the first time he spoke was yesterday because the Bucks had a bonus day after their long weekend. It was really just about an hour long walk through. Uh, and he really didn't we didn't have to put it out an injury report, And he basically was like, well, we're kind of waiting see on about three guys. I've got my fingers crossed, but it

might come down to the wire. I think at least two of the ones he's referring to their Rob Gronkowski and Um and Antoine Winfield Jior and Winfield still as of yesterday hadn't been cleared from the concussion protocol. And I know that sounds concerning a few weeks in and it is a concern, of course, every concussion is, but some but part of that concussion protocol is actually going through practice and then being okay the next day. There's a lot of steps that you have to go through.

So the fact that he wasn't off of it as of Tuesday doesn't necessarily mean that he's still suffering badly. I don't really know, to be honest with you. He was out on the field at the beginning of practice yesterday, So um, we'll see on those guys. Uh, but I think we're gonna have to wait until later in the

week to get much clarity. Okay, and then he has specifically, we had a lot of people asking about Lavonte, David and Gronk, and uh, for them, you know, we can talk about both when when they might return, but also what their absence has looked like and guys who have stepped up. What you thought about how the team has handled both of them being out. Yeah, I don't think Lavante is supposed to be back this week, um, which is a shame because you know, obviously the Bucks are

much better with him in there. But Kevin Minter, who I was just talking about once again, is doing a good job of filling in, just like he has a couple of times in the last couple of years. And really the tight ends with Rob Gronkowski out have done a pretty good job. O J. Howard had his best game in a while, certainly of this season in the

win over Philadelphia. Cam Braid is a reliable guy, especially in the red zone, and I think one of the things that people might not be noticing about o J's play is with Robot, He's had to play that role of the in line tight end. That means he lines up most of the time right at the end of the offensive line rather than like split out wider in

the slot. Earlier in his career, because he's such a netflix and fast guy, OJ spent about half of his snaps detached from the line, just like another big receiver, But now he's playing more of a traditional two way tight end role where his blocking is important. We all know Rob Gronkowski is one of the best blocking tight ends in the league and was awesome at that last year in the beginning of this year, So those are big shoes to fill, but he's doing a good job.

So o. J and Cam have really shown how the depth of deposition has helped us get through and win three straight games without one of the bucks better offensive weapons. Okay, on our next one, Samuel had asked, do you think that Bowls will be coming up with more package plays

for getting try On into this upcoming Sunday games? Overall this time out the way that we've seen him be used when Shack and JPP are both healthy and available for a game, what that has meant so Um, when JPP missed two games, Joe got to start those two and played, you know, about the same amount of snaps that JPP would have liked them or whatever, and he

made some nice plays as a pass rusher. But I think there was something interesting that Bruce said the other day when somebody was questioned about should he try to even out the snaps more between JPP and Joe now that JPP is back, and Bruce pointed out there's more to it. There's more to play in that position than just rushing the pass her and I think maybe JPP overall is more obviously the more developed player in his overall game and against the run and setting the edge

and so on. So we see these splash players from Joe and they're very encouraging and good, but I think JPP is well rounded. Game probably still takes a little precedent right now as Joe continues to develop. So you've seen in the last couple of games when with JPP back, Joe's uh snaps on back down to about twenty a game where he's just basically doing situational pass rushing. I

do think those will go up gradually. And yes, as the question I asked, I do think, as we saw in the very first game, that Todd Bowles is going to come up with some more creative packages, maybe to get all three on the field at the same time. I think that will come along gradually though. Okay, uh Daniel asked, do you think this will be a passing game or running game first? Based on the Bears defense.

It kind of depends on what the Bears dictate, because if we've seen it as we've seen in the last two games, are the last couple of games, maybe even three going back to New England. Uh, the opposing defenses are daring us to run the ball. They're playing a lot of soft zones, and they're doing us to throw a lot of quick, short passes and get yards after the catch. And so the Bucks are just doing that.

That's what we're doing because that's what they're giving us, because they're they're taking away trying to take away the big plays. We haven't had a lot of downfield plays in recent games, but the Buccaneers now lead the league in overall. Yeah, that's yards after the catch. We have more of that than any other team in the NFL, which is not something that's been a hallmark of our offense in recent years. But that's what they're giving us. The Bears right now have a very good pass defense.

A lot of that is because their pass rush is so good, although they may be missing a player and uh, and the run defense is probably the slightly weakest part. Right now, they're going to up about a hundred twenty nine yards of game, so I think they're going to probably dares to run, and I think we're gonna run again. To be honest with you, I mean, we're still gonna throw the ball forty somethingtimes because that's who we are. But it'll be more like the last couple of games,

where there's all still pretty good one pass mix. Yeah, and you brought up the one player might be missing that. Yeah that. There was news this morning that Robert Quinn was put on the COVID nineteen list. Definitely one of their big pass rushers. Um. But you know, depending on whether or not he's vaccinated, there changes the rules of

how quickly he could come back. Theoretically at this point he could if he's vaccinated, to be able to do those two negative tests twenty four hours apart and be available, but who knows. I mean it is already Wednesday. You know that that that gets a little bit harder the later into the week you're put on that list, So we'll have to stay tuned to that to see if he's going to be available. But that definitely would affect

things on their pass fresh Yeah. I think he technically went on yesterday, so that's five days before the game. Like you said, if he can return to negative tests twenty four hours apart, and he's accidented and asymptomatic, he can come back. But as we've seen both with our own team and against some opponents this season. Most of the times when they've had a player, we've had a player going COVID that week, they have not made it

back for the next game. And that would be a pretty big luss for Chicago because by far their biggest strengths of our is the pressures are getting off. The edges from Quinn and Khalil Mack have combined for eleven point five sacks already, and the Bears lead the league in both overall sacks and tax per pass play. So any bit that you can weaken that is obviously a big advantage for the Buccaneers. Okay, and related to that, Richard did ask what concerns you most about the Bears? So,

um that that would probably have been your answer. So now when a we don't know what that's gonna look like, but be just outside of that, maybe what would you say is your biggest concern about the Bears? Well, they still with or without Quinn, are still gonna have a good pass rush. Um, and that's probably the biggest concern. Uh. The Buccaneers have handled that well. I mean Philadelphia the key to their defense and why they were playing pretty well.

They have been be able to get pressure with just their front four and having blitz very much, which allows them to play a lot of the types of soft zones and coverage that they've been playing. But the Buccaneers held them without a sack, and uh, that was big. It was a big part of that game. Uh. The offensive line played very well. They're they've got a big challenge this week though. There's a lot of good front

seven players on team. In Roquan Smith. If you want me to pick out a guy in particular, that's one of the best linebackers we're gonna face all year, and he can do everything well. He's a very good blitzer, He's very very good in coverage. He's a sure tackler. He's already got sixty two titles, probably after Mac. He's the defender that the Bucks have to really focus on where he is the most. Okay, and Daniel last, who do you think is the biggest threat to us in

the NFC overall and in our division? Wow? That you know, it's such a crowded field for the NFC right now. The Cardinals are six and oh and then there's four teams Rams, Bucks, Packers, and forgetting one, I think there's four other teams are five and one, and there you gotta get said of them all. Maybe it's just three others in the Bucks and the fourth. Maybe you've got

to consider all these teams to be prime contenders. I thought at the beginning of the year it was the Rams and and they're on our schedule and we already lost to them, and I don't think they've done anything to make me believe that any less. You just have to take the Cardinals a lot more seriously than you did before. You know, at first it seemed like maybe they were playing a little over their heads, but they've got some quality wins over the Rams and the Browns

in the last couple of weeks. They're not on our schedule, though, so they're not a specific threat to us until we get to the playoffs. I guess if I have to pick one, I'm still gonna stick with the Rams, just because I think there's such a complete team. Stafford completes that offense and the defense is fantastic. So it's still the Rams for me until further notice. All right, Well, that's gonna do it for us. On this edition of

Buccaneers and satur Live, presented by Miller Light. Thanks as always for those amazing questions, and we'll be back here next week to talk about that Bears game. We'll see you then,