3 Buccaneers Players Ruled Out, 2 Big Names Questionable vs. Chargers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be largely healthy against the Los Angeles Chargers, but there will be two names to watch.

Dec 1, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (7) scores a touchdown in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will have quite a few players set to go against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15, but there are two big question marks that could be big swings in how the Bucs approach the game.

Todd Bowles spoke to media on Friday after practice and revealed that only three players are ruled out for the game —safety Antoine Winfield Jr., safety Mike Edwards and linebacker K.J. Britt. That means that players like Ben Bredeson, Tristan Wirfs and Mike Evans are indeed set to play, but there are two questionable players to keep an eye on — defensive back Christian Izien and running back Bucky Irving.

Todd Bowles confirms that Antoine Winfield Jr., Mike Edwards and KJ Britt are the only players ruled OUT. Bucky Irving and Christian Izien are questionable.

— River Wells (@riverhwells) December 13, 2024

Irving played a little against the Raiders before re-aggravating a back injury and sitting out for the rest of the way. He's a big part of the Bucs' rushing attack, so the team will hope he is able to go — if he isn't, running backs Rachaad White and Sean Tucker will be available to carry the load.

The more important name to watch will be Izien's. Izien is the last line of defense after Tampa Bay's first three safeties on the depth chart are out due to injury, so if he were to also be hurt, the Buccaneers would be scraping the bottom of the barrel, likely elevating safety Ryan Neal or using special teams player Tavierre Thomas in that role. Izien was stretching this morning, so he can hopefully get healthy enough to play on Sunday.

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