The Tampa Bay Buccaneers secondary will be missing two key starters on Sunday as they try to clinch the NFC South with a win over the visiting New Orleans Saints.
Safety Antoine Winfield Jr., an Associated Press All-Pro selection last season, will sit out a fourth straight contest due to the knee injury he suffered against Las Vegas in Week 14. Dean, who previously had a four-game stint on injured reserve in the middle of the season, is also out after aggravating a knee injury in last Sunday's win over Carolina. Josh Hayes is expected to start in Dean's place and the Buccaneers have used a number of different safety combinations in Winfield's absence, with Jordan Whitehead, Mike Edwards and Kaevon Merriweather in the mix.
Tight end Cade Otton will also miss a third straight game due to a knee injury. Payne Durham has started the last two in his place and last week he and rookie tight end Devin Culp combined for five catches for 88 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Sterling Shepard returns to action after missing last week's game with a hamstring issue.
The Buccaneers and Saints submitted their list of inactives at 11:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, 90 minutes before the scheduled kickoff of their Week 18 game at Raymond James Stadium. After elevating linebacker Deion Jones and cornerback Dallis Flowers from the practice squad on Saturday, the Buccaneers had 55 available players and thus had to name seven inactives to get down to the game-day limit of 48.
BUCCANEERS INACTIVES
- CB Jamel Dean
- DL C.J. Brewer
- WR Kameron Johnson
- G Royce Newman
- TE Cade Otton
- OLB Jose Ramirez
- S Antoine Winfield Jr.
Dean, Otton and Winfield are out due to injury.
SAINTS INACTIVES
- DT Khristian Boyd
- QB Derek Carr
- LB Willie Gay
- RB Alvin Kamara
- RB Kendre Miller
- WR Mason Tipton
- LB Pete Werner
Carr, Kamara and Miller are out due to injury.
