The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' secondary has been hit hard by injuries in recent weeks but will be getting a helpful contributor back in Week 16. Safety Mike Edwards, who missed the last two games due to a hamstring injury, has been cleared to play on Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys.
Edwards adds depth to a safety position that is without both of its season-long starters. All-Pro Antoine Winfield Jr. has been ruled out due to a knee injury and will miss a third straight game, while Jordan Whitehead remains on injured reserve for a fourth consecutive week.
Third-year tight end Cade Otton will miss a game due to injury for the first time in his NFL career after sustaining a knee sprain last Sunday in a road win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Otton leads the Buccaneers with 59 receptions on the season and has played 92% of the team's offensive snaps. In addition, starting linebacker K.J. Britt has an ankle injury that will sideline him for a third straight game.
The Buccaneers and Cowboys submitted their list of inactives at 6:50 p.m. ET on Sunday, 90 minutes before the scheduled kickoff of their Week 16 prime time game at AT&T Stadium. After elevating punter Jack Browning from the practice squad on Saturday, the Buccaneers had 54 available players and thus had to name six inactives to get down to the game-day limit of 48.
BUCCANEERS INACTIVES
- LB K.J. Britt
- DL Earnest Brown
- G Royce Newman
- TE Cade Otton
- OLB Jose Ramirez
- S Antoine Winfield Jr.
Britt, Otton and Winfield are out due to injury.
COWBOYS INACTIVES
- G T.J. Bass
- WR Jalen Brooks
- LB Eric Kendricks
- S Juanyeh Thomas
- RB Deuce Vaughn
- DE Tyrus Wheat
Bass, Brooks Kendricks and Thomas are out due to injury.
