The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are getting a team captain back just in time to face their most heated division rival.
Inside linebacker Lavonte David, who has missed the last two games with a high ankle sprain, is active on Sunday as the Buccaneers take on the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome. David was one of five Tampa Bay players listed as questionable on Friday's injury report but he has been cleared to play and will step back into his usual starting spot next to Devin White. That's an encouraging development for a Buccaneers defense that has to contend with Saints running back Alvin Kamara, one of the league's best dual threats in the rushing and passing games.
The other four players listed as questionable for the Buccaneers were cornerback Dee Delaney, tight end Rob Gronkowski, outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul and cornerback Richard Sherman. The Sunday news on that quartet was quite good, as only Delaney will be unable to go. Gronkowski returns to action after missing four games and Sherman after one. For the second straight week, Pierre-Paul will play despite not participating in any practices due to shoulder and hand injuries; he had two sacks last Sunday against the Bears.
The Buccaneers and Saints submitted their list of inactives at 2:55 p.m. ET on Sunday, 90 minutes before the scheduled kickoff of their Week Eight meeting at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. After elevating wide receiver Cyril Grayson from the practice squad on Saturday, the Buccaneers carried 54 active players into Sunday, meaning they had to declare six of them inactive to get down to the game limit of 48.
The Saints also had to declare six inactives after a series of roster moves on Saturday that included the elevation of wide receiver Kevin White from the practice squad. New Orleans had already declared four players out on Friday, including starting left guard Andrus Peat, who has since been placed on injured reserve. The other three – quarterback Taysom Hill, defensive end Payton Turner and running back Dwayne Washington – are on Sunday's inactive list. The question mark for New Orleans heading into the weekend was wide receiver and kick returner Deonte Harris, who is dealing with a hamstring injury. Harris was limited in practice on Thursday and Friday but has been cleared to play against the Buccaneers.
BUCCANEERS INACTIVES
- WR Antonio Brown
- CB Dee Delaney
- OL Nick Leverett
- DL Steve McLendon
- QB Kyle Trask
- RB Ke'Shawn Vaughn
Brown and Delaney are out due to injury.
SAINTS INACTIVES
- QB Ian Book
- QB Taysom Hill
- DE Jalyn Holmes
- DL Malcolm Roach
- DE Payton Turner
- RB Dwayne Washington
Hill, Turner and Washington are out due to injury.
