Buccaneers OL Evan Smith To Miss Time
Buccaneers offensive lineman Evan Smith suffered a grade-2 MCL sprain, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). He is expected to miss about three weeks. 
The loss of Smith comes at a bad time for Tampa Bay with left guard Kevin Pamphile and center Joe Hawley also nursing injuries. Both players were sidelined for Week 10 and it’s not immediately clear whether they will be in action for Week 11 against the Chiefs.
Hawley, 28, has only been so-so according to the advanced metrics, but he is the anchor for Tampa Bay’s O-Line and his tough, gritty style is missed on the field. If he remains out while Smith nurses his sprain, the Bucs will likely have to turn to Ben Gottschalk to bridge the gap. It also stands to reason that the Buccaneers could add an offensive lineman if all three players are ruled out for this weekend.
Previously known as Evan Dietrich-Smith, Smith de-hyphenated his name prior to the 2015 season. He discussed the change with Joe Kania of Buccaneers.com.
Buccaneers Cut Running Back
- The Buccaneers promoted defensive end Ryan Russell to their active roster, where he’ll take running back Russell Hansbrough‘s spot, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports (on Twitter). Doug Martin being set to return to action made Hansbrough expendable, though with the team short on healthy backs he could return to the practice squad. A former fifth-round Cowboys pick, Russell played in one game for Dallas last season. He has yet to suit up in a game this year.
Doug Martin To Return For Buccaneers
The severe hamstring injury that has defined Doug Martin‘s season to this point won’t restrict the Buccaneers’ top running back from playing in Week 10 against the Bears. Martin will suit up for Sunday’s game, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Martin has not ventured to IR this season despite missing eight weeks, but his absence and his backfield mates’ subsequent maladies have restricted the Bucs. The 27-year-old ball-carrier isn’t a lock to start, but he should be considered ready to assume some of his previous duties.
Charles Sims and Jacquizz Rodgers are out for Sunday, with the former being a candidate to return from IR. Rodgers is without a return timetable after suffering a foot injury, one that sent the Bucs’ fourth and fifth backfield options, Peyton Barber and Antone Smith, into action. Smith is out for the season after playing in just three games with the team.
The recently re-signed Martin hasn’t played since Week 2 but is obviously coming off a full-season performance that did enough to earn him a five-year, $35.7MM extension to stay in Tampa Bay. Martin gained 1,673 yards from scrimmage and scored seven touchdowns last season, bouncing back from two down campaigns — both marred by injuries — to earn that long-term security.
Tampa Bay’s managed to remain a middling rushing attack without its top threat, ranking 16th at 108.0 yards per game, but the team sits 3-5 and has already lost Vincent Jackson as another key offensive option.
Buccaneers Promote OL Ben Gottschalk
The Buccaneers offensive line could be without two key pieces this weekend, so the team has added some reinforcement from the practice squad. Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports (via Twitter) that the Bucs have promoted guard/center Ben Gottschalk from the practice squad.
Gottschalk, an undrafted rookie out of SMU in 2014, could make his NFL debut this weekend. Left guard Kevin Pamphile (concussion) and center Joe Hawley (knee) are not expected to play, forcing backups Evan Dietrich-Smith and Caleb Benenoch into the starting lineup. As a result of the lineup changes, the Buccaneers would only have two lineman, Leonard Wester and Gosder Cherilus, on the bench. Gottschalk’s ability to play both guard and center should allow him to see some snaps against the Bears.
The 24-year-old has been on the Buccaneers practice squad all season. The lineman previously spent time with the Chiefs and 49ers.
Bucs Giving Josh Huff Significant Money
Earlier this week, the Buccaneers scooped up troubled wide receiver Josh Huff by signing him to a practice squad deal. It turns out that he is getting paid a lot more than your average practice squad player, a likely indication that there was competition for his services. The Buccaneers are paying wide receiver Huff $31K/week to be a member of their practice squad, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. That’s a solid paycheck, especially when considering that he was making $36K/week on the Eagles’ active roster. 
P-squad players make a minimum of $6,900 per week which comes out to just over $117K if that player is on the roster for the entire season. Taxi squad players also earn weekly paychecks during the playoffs, provided that the team makes it to the postseason. Huff’s deal with Tampa Bay is worth nearly five times the league-mandated minimum wage, so one has to imagine that other teams expressed interest in him.
Huff found himself out of work following an arrest for a gun charge, speeding, and marijuana possession. It seems likely that he will face punishment from 345 Park Ave., but the league must wait for the legal process to play out a bit before doling out a suspension or fine.
In the interim, the Bucs are evaluating the Oregon product and a promotion to the 53-man roster may not be far off.
Buccaneers Promote Russell Hansbrough
- After placing veteran running back Antone Smith on injured reserve, the Buccaneers have promoted Russell Hansbrough from the practice squad, the team announced. Hansbrough has bounced on and off Tampa’s taxi squad this year.
Bucs Place Louis Murphy On Reserve PUP
The Buccaneers were eager to get Louis Murphy back into the lineup this year, particularly after Vincent Jackson went down with injury. Unfortunately, after suffering another setback, that won’t be happening. The Bucs announced today that Murphy has been placed on the Physically Unable to Perform/reserve list, which ends his season. 
[RELATED: Bucs Sign WR Josh Huff To Practice Squad]
Murphy returned to practice last month and was making strides in his recovery from ACL surgery. Unfortunately, he wound up with an unrelated injury and has been sidelined ever since. Today was the last day on Murphy’s three-week practice window and the Bucs were forced to make their decision.
Murphy joined Tampa Bay before the 2014 season and has managed 41 receptions since. The Bucs still have him under contract through the 2017 season at a reasonable $2.087MM cap number. The Bucs could also cut him before June 1st and save $2MM while being left with just ~$87K in dead money.
Buccaneers Sign Josh Huff To Practice Squad
The Buccaneers have signed wide receiver Josh Huff to the practice squad, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Huff was cut loose by the Eagles last week following his arrest. 
Huff made headlines for all the wrong reasons this month when he was pulled over for speeding and found with a firearm and marijuana. Huff is supposedly licensed for the gun in his home state of Texas, but New Jersey does not cross-honor permits from other states.
The wide receiver faces charges for gun possession without a permit, possessing a magazine with six hollow-point bullets, and “a disorderly persons offense” for having less than 50 grams of pot. Given the tough gun laws in N.J., Huff could even face separate charges for each of those six bullets.
The NFL is looking into Huff’s incident, but until their investigation concludes, he is free to play just like anyone else. The league may wait until Huff’s legal situation is resolved before taking any action and that would mean that he could avoid punishment until 2017.
Could Doug Martin Return Next Week?
“These hamstrings are just delicate. He was 90-plus percent back and doing his rehab run one day and he tweaked it again. (Bucs trainers) kind of had to go back and start over.”
Buccaneers running back Doug Martin hasn’t seen the field since the second week of the season, but the 27-year-old may finally have a definitive return date. Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter told SiriusXM NFL Radio that the team is optimistic that Martin will return for next week’s contest against the Bears.
Two Bucs Suffer Season-Ending Injuries
Not only did the Buccaneers drop a crucial NFC South matchup to the Falcons on Thursday, but they also lost running back Antone Smith and defensive end Howard Jones to season-ending knee injuries, head coach Dirk Koetter announced Friday (Twitter link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times).
Smith, who signed with the injury-ravaged Buccaneers on Oct. 17, is the latest of their rushers to land on the shelf this year. Starter Doug Martin hasn’t played since Week 2 because of hamstring troubles; his primary complement, Charles Sims, went on injured reserve last month – shortly before Jones’ signing – with a knee issue; and Jacquizz Rodgers sat out Tampa Bay’s 43-28 defeat against Atlanta with a sprained ankle.
With their top three options down, the Bucs turned to Peyton Barber and Smith, who combined for 56 yards on 16 carries. Smith, formerly with the Falcons and Bears, saw action in three games this season and picked up 47 yards on 10 rushes.
Jones, 26, contributed solid production as a first-year player in 2015, racking up 43 tackles and five sacks in 12 appearances (five starts). His output was minimal this year, though, partly because he participated in just 15.8 of the Buccaneers’ defensive snaps. Jones totaled only three tackles in eight games, but he did factor in heavily on special teams with a snap percentage of 50.5.