TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be without Pro Bowl defenseman Antoine Winfield Jr., tight end Cam Brate, left guard Luke Goedeke and wide receiver Russell Gage when they host the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, coach Todd Bowles said on Sunday Friday .
One of the Bucs’ best defensive playmakers, Winfield Jr. suffered a concussion in Week 7 with the Carolina Panthers. He returned to practice this week in a limited capacity as NFL concussion protocol allows, but is still working through protocol.
“Good to see him walking around out here. He’s going through the process right now, but he’s heading in the right direction,” Bowles said.
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Brate, their starting tight end, has been out since a neck sprain in Week 6 with the Pittsburgh Steelers, leaving the game on a stretcher. He returned to training this week as a limited participant. Goedeke, their first left guard, has been out since a Week 7 foot injury and has not trained while Gage, their fourth receiver behind Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Julio Jones, has been out since Week 7 with a hamstring injury.
The Bucs, who have not won a game since Oct. 9 and are down to a 3-5 record, are expected to have several key players back from injury. Beginning defender Akiem Hicks, who has been out since Week 2 with a foot injury, has been a full participant in training all week. The Bucs’ running defense — typically one of the top units in the league in recent years — has struggled lately.
“It helps because it puts everyone back in their place,” Bowles said. “It puts everyone back in their roles and they can get the amount of time and act like they’re used to and it helps us up front because it gives us a dimension that we didn’t have over there.”
Top cornerback Carlton Davis III, who sustained a hip injury in Week 6 and missed the last two weeks, was also a full participant in practice this week, as was cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, who sustained a Week 5 quadriceps injury .
The Bucs have been dealing with a series of injuries to key defensive pieces this year, with Pro Bowl outlinebacker Shaq Barrett suffering a torn Achilles tendon earlier this week and undergoing surgery that ended his 2022 season.
Like the Bucs, the Rams are in uncharted territory at 3-4. The Rams have never fallen two games below .500 under coach Sean McVay, but Bowles doesn’t expect less competition between the last two defending Super Bowl champions, who will go head-to-head for the fourth time in three seasons.
“We know we’re getting the best Rams team we can face,” Bowles said. “We’re in the same boat – we’re both trying to win a ball game. Of course they still have all their star players and high production so it’s going to be a fight.”