Buccaneers vs. Bears Thursday Injury Report: Winfield Practices in Full Again
The Buccaneers upgraded fifth-year tight end O.J. Howard from a non-participant on Wednesday to a limited participant on Thursday, which puts him on track to play Sunday. Veteran defensive lineman Steve McClendon was added to Week 7's injury report, but the addition is his usual rest day and has nothing to do with injury.
The other encouraging development for the Bucs is that second-year safety Antoine Winfield Jr. practiced in full for the second straight day. Winfield Jr. never got past the limited designation last week, so the arrow is pointing up in terms of his availability on Sunday, even if there is still an obstacle or two left in his way.
Bruce Arians confirmed Wednesday that Winfield Jr.'s presence over the last two days is a step in the right direction; but at the end of the day, it isn't Arians' call -or even the Bucs' call, for that matter- when it comes to whether or not Winfield Jr. plays against the Bears.
"Yea, [but] he's {Winfield Jr.'s] still got to get through the independent neurologist," Arians told reporters Wednesday. "This is putting pads on, putting the helmet on, get all that stuff done so he can hopefully pass."
The Bears' injury report contained a whole batch of new developments. Safety Tashuan Gibson Sr. and linebacker Caleb Johnson were downgraded from limited participants on Wednesday to non-participants on Thursday, but wide receiver Allen Robinson was upgraded from a non-participant on Wednesday to a limited participant on Thursday, which bodes well for his Sunday status.
Defensive lineman Bilal Nichols and defensive back Duke Shelley were both added to Thursday's report as limited participants after not showing up on the report Wednesday.
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