Outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul missed his second-straight day of practice putting his availability for Sunday's game in Los Angeles against the Rams in question. The Buccaneers stated Pierre-Paul, along with wide receiver Jaydon Mickens, are day to day.
If Pierre-Paul doesn't play in Week Three, the player tasked with stepping in will be rookie Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, who has the trust of his teammates and coaches already.
"Honestly, we shouldn't lose anything," defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh said. "We expect Joe [Tryon-Shoyinka] to step up and it's something that we've talked about all the time – that at any point in the season we're going to have a young guy and/or someone who is technically a backup to step up and be a starter and play in a role that really is expected for them to have no drop offs. At the end of the day, we're definitely going to miss JPP if he's not playing, but we expect for guys to step up and fill in that role."
"I feel comfortable that he's gotten a lot of reps and he's been here from Day One along with [Anthony] Nelson," continued Defensive Coordinator Todd Bowles. "So, if we have guys that have to play in case somebody doesn't play we feel comfortable putting anybody in whether they're rookies or vets."
Tryon-Shoyinka played 25% of the team's defensive snaps in Week One and 26% in Week Two. He would conceivably get the most work of his young career against a potent Rams offense that ranks fifth in points scored so far in 2021.
The Rams returned both Aaron Donald and Andrew Whitworth to practice after veteran rest days on Wednesday, while they added tight end Jacob Harris to their report with a hip injury. He was limited in practice.
Read below for the full injury report for both teams:
Buccaneers
DT Steve McLendon (not injury related – resting player) – Did Not Participate
WR Jaydon Mickens (abdomen) – Did Not Participate
OLB Jason Pierre-Paul (hand) – Did Not Participate
Rams
DT Aaron Donald (Not Injury Related - Resting Player) – Full Participation
OLB Leonard Floyd (Ankle) – Did Not Participate
TE Jacob Harris (hip) - Limited Participation
RB Darrell Henderson (Ribs) – Did Not Participate
T Andrew Whitworth (Not Injury Related - Resting Player) – Full Participation
