The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have designated safety Logan Ryan to return from injured reserve, making his return to game action possible as soon as this coming Monday against New Orleans.
Ryan was placed on injured reserve on October 18 due to a foot fracture he sustained in the Buccaneers' Week Four game against Kansas City. He was required to miss at least four games before being eligible to return and is now entering his eighth week on I.R. By designating Ryan to return, the Buccaneers have opened a three-week window in which he can practice with the team without counting against the 53-man roster limit, and he can be activated at any point during that time.
Ryan, who joined the team as a free agent this past March, was playing a significant role in the Buccaneers' defense before his injury. Though Mike Edwards and Antoine Winfield Jr. were the starting safeties, Ryan would take the field in sub packages when Winfield moved into the slot, and that had give him a 71% snap share on defense through the first three games. He was injured early in Week Four and then was inactive for two games before being moved to injured reserve. Ryan notched 10 tackles, an interception and two passes defensed prior to his injury.
A third-round draft pick by the Patriots in 2013, Ryan began his career with four years in New England before spending three seasons with the Tennessee Titans and two with the New York Giants. He has played in 144 games with 117 starts, seeing action at both cornerback and safety and recording 714 tackles, 19 interceptions, 13.0 sacks, 97 passes defensed and 15 forced fumbles.
Ryan is the third player the Buccaneers have designated to return from injured reserve in 2022, following the activations of tackle Josh Wells in Week Eight and running back Giovani Bernard in Week 12. Both Wells and Bernard were also added back to the active roster in the same week they were designated to return. Each team is allowed to use that option with up to eight players during the season.
