Bucky Irving doesn't plan on letting his recent injury stop him from playing against the Eagles on Sunday
It's safe to say that Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie Bucky Irving has played well over the first three games of the season. The former third-rounder currently leads the Bucs with 154 rushing yards and he, despite playing limited snaps.Per Bucs head coach Todd Bowles, those snaps were on track to increase, but that may be […]
It's safe to say that Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie Bucky Irving has played well over the first three games of the season. The former third-rounder currently leads the Bucs with 154 rushing yards and he, despite playing limited snaps.
Per Bucs head coach Todd Bowles, those snaps were on track to increase, but that may be delayed considering Irving's recent hamstring injury.
It's currently unclear when Irving injured himself, but he at least practiced in a limited fashion on Wednesday. That didn't mean he was guaranteed to play against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, by any means, but at least he was on track.
That changed in dramatic fashion on Thursday, however, when Irving was downgraded to a non-participant. Things can change Friday, but that's obviously not what you want to see as the week progresses.
It will be a big blow to the Bucs' run game -one that is already struggling enough- if Irving can't go against the Eagles. His quickness and vision have already shown he's capable of providing big plays when the blocking is working.
Despite the injury, Irving remains confident that he'll play on Sunday. He even doubled down on his status when asked about it, twice.
"I feel pretty great, I'm just dialed into the game right now and I look forward to playing on Sunday," said Irving. "… I don't want to go into details, but I'll be ready for the game on Sunday."
It's not all bad news for the Bucs on Thursday
As FOX Sports' Greg Auman notes in the above tweet, defensive lineman Vita Vea and starting right tackle Luke Goedeke appeared to be practicing without limitations. Both players were limited participants on Wednesday, which was encouraging enough, but Thursday's context is an even better sign that both players will be able to play against the Eagles.
SI's JC Allen reported earlier in the week that the Bucs expect Goedeke to clear concussion protocol and so far, so good.
Getting both of those guys back, potentially, would be a huge addition for the Bucs, who have been struggling on both sides of the trenches over the last couple of weeks.
