Sportsnaut
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are expected to lose another star player on offense for multiple weeks, and it seems he might have been hiding his injury from the team.
Last week, Tampa Bay took its first loss of the season when it came up short, 31-25, to the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles at home. In defeat, Bucky Irving — one of their top players on offense– suffered a foot injury and was in a walking boot during practice this week.
However, that is not his only issue. He is also dealing with a shoulder injury. The assumption this week was that the foot issue is why he will miss their Week 5 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks. But the shoulder is reportedly the bigger issue, and Irving apparently was not forthright about the problem with the Buccaneers staff.
“Turns out that Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving’s shoulder injury, which he did not report to the team until Tuesday last week, is more of an issue than his sprained foot, per sources,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Sunday.
“Irving is dealing with a shoulder subluxation that is expected to sideline him at least two weeks. Irving will not play today vs. the Seahawks, and he’s not expected back for next week’s game vs. the 49ers, either.”
A subluxation of the shoulder is medical terminology for a partially separated shoulder. Here is a more detailed explanation from Very Well Health on the injury that can take over a month to heal.
“Subluxation occurs when the end (head) of the humerus bone partially shifts out of the glenoid fossa (socket) portion of the shoulder joint. While subluxation may result from a traumatic injury, it can also happen because of repetitive overhead movements or weakness in the surrounding shoulder muscles.”
Irving brings to the Bucs offense something they had badly lacked until he joined the team last year: A reliable every-down running back.
In his rookie season, Irving ran for 1,122 yards and eight touchdowns in three starts. However, he proved to be a rock-solid pass option out of the backfield as he racked up 392 yards through the air on 47 catches. He made life much easier for quarterback Baker Mayfield and diversified one of the best offenses in the league last season.
If he misses the next month, his loss will definitely be felt. It will be compounded because the Bucs may also be without top receiver Mike Evans for another week or two with a hamstring injury. Don’t be surprised if Tampa’s offense struggles the next couple of weeks.
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