Cornerback Johnthan Banks has missed the Bucs' past two games with a knee injury, but could be returning to the field on Sunday when the Buccaneers take on the Redskins in Washington.
"There's a good chance (he'll play)," Defensive Coordinator Leslie Frazier said on Thursday. "We'll have to see how things go the rest of this week. Even though he's cleared medically, can he really do all the things he was doing prior to the injury? We have to determine that. We're hoping he'll have a good day today and put another good day together tomorrow."
Banks, one of the Bucs' starting cornerbacks for the first three games of the season, was listed on the team's injury report on Wednesday and Thursday, but was a full participant in practice. For a Bucs secondary which has struggled at times, he would be a welcome addition.
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"(He's) just a good solid player," Head Coach Lovie Smith said. "Of course he played well against [Washington] last year, but he'll tackle – he's different from the rest of our DBs (defensive backs) that we have, because he has height and length and long arms. He's been a playmaker for us – can't have too many good corners. We haven't been totally pleased with how we've played on the back end, that's been documented. To get another one of our guys, who we start the season with as our starter, back, has to help."
Last season, Banks returned an interception for a touchdown against Washington. The Bucs will release their final injury report on Friday afternoon. Inactives for the game will be announced shortly before kickoff.
