Latest On Bucs’ Antonio Brown
The Buccaneers are getting closer to the point where they will need to make a decision regarding wide receiver Antonio Brown. According to head coach Bruce Arians, however, it’s all still up in the air. 
As reported by ESPN’s Jenna Laine, Arians said, “I haven’t made that determination yet, but we’ll see how it goes” when asked about the seven-time Pro Bowler. Brown’s three-game suspension for producing a fake COVID-19 vaccination card will end after this week, but it remains to be seen if the Buccaneers will allow him to carry on with the team.
The ban — also given to safety Mike Edwards — is the latest in off-field issues surrounding Brown. His latest suspension was for eight games in 2020 for violating the league’ personal conduct policy. Laine adds that Arians informed Brown “there will be no second chances” when he joined the team last season.
In his absence, Tampa Bay has had no issues scoring, as they lead the league with 31.5 points per game. Still, the NFC South leaders would welcome back Brown’s production: 42 catches for 418 yards and four touchdowns in just five games.
The Bucs host the Saints on Sunday night in Week 15.
Bucs’ Giovani Bernard Suffers MCL Injury
Giovani Bernard will be out for at least a little while. The Buccaneers running back has been diagnosed with an MCL injury, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (Twitter link). Between that and his hip strain, Bernard will need some time to heal up. 
Bernard joined the Bucs this offseason after being released by the Bengals. Since then, he’s been used as the team’s RB3 behind Ronald Jones II and Leonard Fournette. To date, Bernard’s got just eight carries for 58 yards, though he’s put his soft hands to work as a pass-catching receiver with 23 grabs for 123 yards and three scores.
The Buccaneers also have Ke’Shawn Vaughn on the roster, so they don’t necessarily have to add another RB. But, if they need a fourth rusher, Darwin Thompson could be promoted from the practice squad.
The Buccaneers advanced to 10-3 yesterday by topping the Bills 33-27. Next up, a Sunday night showdown with the Saints. A win would formally seal the NFC South title and bring them one step closer to clinching a first round bye.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/13/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Placed on COVID-19 list: WR Binjimen Victor
Denver Broncos
- Placed on COVID-19 list: WR Seth Williams
Green Bay Packers
- Released: QB Danny Etling
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on COVID-19 list: G Kyle Hinton
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: CB Mac McCain
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed DE John Simon
- Released: K Sam Sloman
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Released: LS Garrison Sanborn
Buccaneers Activate Richard Sherman
FRIDAY: Sherman is set to make his return in Week 14. Two days after opening his IR-return window, the Bucs activated the 11th-year veteran cornerback. He has not played since Week 6, joining Davis and Murphy-Bunting in missing a sizable chunk of Tampa Bay’s season. All three are set to be in uniform when the defending champions face the Bills on Sunday.
WEDNESDAY: Richard Sherman‘s return is imminent. The Buccaneers designated the cornerback to return from IR today.
Sherman suffered a grade 2 calf sprain back in mid-November, leading to his placement on injured reserve. With today’s move, the Buccaneers will now have 21 days to activate the defensive back to their active roster.
Sherman joined the Buccaneers in late September, and he made his debut for Tampa Bay in Week 4. He started each of his three games for Tampa Bay, collecting 11 tackles and one fumble recovery. The 33-year-old suffered a hamstring injury during Week 6, and he was expected to return to the field for Tampa’s Week 10 game against Washington. However, the veteran suffered an injury prior to the game, sidelining him for an extra few weeks.
The Buccaneers have dealt with their fair share of cornerbacks injuries this season. Starters Sean Murphy-Bunting and Carlton Davis were sidelined for months, but the duo have since returned to the lineup. With Sherman back, the team’s cornerbacks corps should be fully healthy. In fact, head coach Bruce Arians suggested that Sherman could end up playing some safety for the squad down the stretch.
“That’s the beauty of having Sherm here is he’s a veteran player who can play a lot of positions,” Arians said this week (via The Athletic). “We’re looking this week to see if that’s a fit for us.”
NFC Notes: Buccaneers, Darnold, Cowboys
Imagine a loaded Buccaneers offense with…Jonathan Taylor at running back. It could have been a possibility, as the Buccaneers had their eye on the Wisconsin product during the 2020 draft, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Bucs were armed with the No. 14 heading into that draft, and Taylor was on the “short list” of players the organization was considering with that selection. The team ended up with their preferred prospect, offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, and they traded up to No. 13 to make sure they got the lineman. However, if Wirfs was off the board at that point in the draft, then Tampa Bay likely would have pivoted to Taylor, who didn’t hear his name come off the board until midway through the second round.
“I loved him,” Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said recently (via Schefter). “He could do it all, and it was just a matter of time — playing behind that offensive line — that he was going to be the force that he is.”
Taylor has obviously had a standout season with the Colts, leading the league with 1,348 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns (naturally, he’s also leading the NFL with 1,684 yards from scrimmage and 18 total scores). Of course, things have worked out fine for the Buccaneers. Wirfs has started all 28 of his career games, while the duo of Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones were more than capable during Tampa Bay’s 2020 Super Bowl run.
Some more notes out of the NFC…
- Sam Darnold seems to be out of the picture in Carolina, but the Panthers still owe the quarterback $18.8MM in guaranteed money in 2022. The team already paid Denver $7MM to inherit Teddy Bridgewater, leaving the organization with $17MM in dead cap. As a result, Joseph Person of The Athletic believes Darnold will stick around as a high-priced backup vs. being involved in a salary dump. Person specifically cites a 2017 trade where the Texans attached a second-round pick to Brock Osweiler to dump his salary on Cleveland; league sources tell the reporter that “an Osweiler-type trade involving Darnold is unlikely.”
- Cowboys senior defensive assistant George Edwards is a candidate for the head coaching job at his alma mater, Duke University, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). Edwards was a four-year player for Duke, and he served as an assistant on the Duke staff way back in 1996. He’s had a long coaching career since that time, including a recent six-year stint as the Vikings defensive coordinator. Edwards has been a senior defensive assistant with the Cowboys since 2020. Duke parted ways with David Cutcliffe last month.
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com recently tweeted the 10 highest salary cap hits for 2022, and the top three spots all belong to the NFC. Falcons QB Matt Ryan and his $48.7MM cap hit leads the way, following by Packers QB Aaron Rodgers at $46.1MM and Vikings QB Kirk Cousins at $45MM. Other NFC players on the list include Seahawks QB Russell Wilson (sixth, $37MM), Cowboys QB Dak Prescott (ninth, $34.5MM), and Lions QB Jared Goff (10th, $31.2MM).
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/7/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DB Cornell Armstrong
- Released: CB Chris Williamson, OT Rick Leonard
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: RB Jacques Patrick
- Released: WR Matt Cole
Chicago Bears
- Signed: FB Ben Mason
- Released: LB Rashad Smith
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: TE Ross Travis
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR/KR Tyrie Cleveland
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted: QB Kurt Benkert
New York Giants
- Signed: QB Clayton Thorson
New York Jets
- Signed: K Matt Amendola, WR Tarik Black
- Released: WR Keelan Doss
Seattle Seahawks
- Released: DB Elijah Benton
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: LS Garrison Sanborn
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/6/21
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: P Dustin Colquitt
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: OL Trent Scott
Cleveland Browns
- Designated for return: LB Jacob Phillips
Las Vegas Raiders
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Jalen Richard
Los Angeles Chargers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Keenan Allen
New York Jets
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Blake Cashman
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Placed on IR: LS Zach Triner
Tennessee Titans
- Released: LB John Simon (story)
Latest On Buccaneers’ WR Antonio Brown
Questions have arisen over Antonio Brown‘s future with the Buccaneers after comments made by head coach Bruce Arians. Brown and safety Mike Edwards recently received a three-game ban following a report indicating that Brown had acquired a fake COVID-19 vaccination card.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that when asked if Brown and Edwards will remain on the team after their suspension is over, Arians answered, “We’ll address their future at that time,” fueling speculation that there may be reason to doubt their current job safety. When asked to clarify his comments, Arians doubled down, stating, “Nothing’s been decided, no.”
The four-time First-team All-Pro has had his share of controversies over an eleven-year career in the NFL. When Brown was signed to a free agent deal with the Buccaneers, Arians commented that, despite entering the NFL midway through the 2020 season, he didn’t anticipate any issues with Brown having to deal with the COVID-19 protocols. Arians also indicated that Tampa Bay wouldn’t hesitate to get rid of Brown were he to return to his controversial behavior, saying, “He’s been a model citizen, if and when he’s not, we’ll move on.”
The star wide receiver has been impressive this year in the five games he’s played, totaling 42 catches for 418 yards and 4 touchdowns. Brown’s decision to accept his suspension without an appeal was an easy one, as he was expected to miss two more games anyway with an ankle injury, and he was lucky for a shorter suspension, considering the league was looking into a suspension around 6-8 games.
It will be interesting to see how Arians and the Buccaneers proceed with handling Brown and Edwards. Arians was one of the more vocal and proud coaches in his team’s efforts to get to 100% vaccination status. Both Brown and Edwards have since been vaccinated, but the damage may already be done.
NFL Mulled 6-8 Game Ban For Antonio Brown
Earlier this week, the NFL hit Antonio Brown, Mike Edwards, and free agent defensive back John Franklin III with three-game bans for violating COVID-19 protocols. Initially, however, the league was considering six-to-eight game suspensions for those players (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero).
[RELATED: NFL Suspends Antonio Brown, Mike Edwards]
An eight-game ban would have trickled into the playoffs for Brown and Edwards. Thanks to NFLPA negotiations, both players will have a chance to return in a few weeks. According to Bucs head coach Bruce Arians, it’s not a given that Brown will be activated straight away, and Pelissero hears that’s legitimate. The team first wants to ensure that Brown is focused on football and adhering to the league’s rules. Beyond that, there’s also a non-trivial chance that the players could be facing legal entanglements, since falsifying vaccination cards is a federal crime.
Brown, 33, has been productive on the field, but he’s missed time thanks to a lingering ankle injury and time on the COVID list. Before the suspension, Brown was on pace for another 1,000-yard season with 29 grabs for 418 yards and two touchdowns in five games. Now, he’ll finish shy of that mark for a third straight year.
If the Bucs welcome Brown back immediately after the suspension, he’ll retake the field on Dec. 26th against the Panthers.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/3/21
Today’s minor moves:
Los Angeles Rams
- Placed on IR: RB Buddy Howell
New York Giants
- Placed on IR: LB Trent Harris, TE Kaden Smith
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted: WR Breshad Perriman (story)