Two Tampa Bay Buccaneers Activated From Reserve/COVID-19 List
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers activated linebacker Devin White and defensive tackle Steve McLendon from the Reserve/COVID-19 list, the team announced Monday.
Both were placed on the list on Jan. 1 along with Bucs' outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett. All three were out for the regular-season finale vs. the Atlanta Falcons.
Unlike Barrett, however, both White and McLendon missed Saturday's Wild Card matchup against the Washington Football Team.
Barrett was only considered a close contact situation, while White reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. NFL protocol says that players who test positive for COVID-19 would miss 10 days of activities and must be cleared to return by testing negative.
Had the Bucs faced the Football Team on Sunday instead of Saturday, and White continued to test negative, enough time would have passed for him to be able to play. Luckily for White, Tampa Bay advanced to the NFC Divisional round after winning on the road 31-23 over Washington.
While the Bucs won, White's presence was missed. Tampa Bay only sacked Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke twice as he had a clean pocket to pass in for most of the game. Heinicke threw for over 300 yards and scored two total touchdowns: an impressive eight-yard by himself that resulted in a dividing touchdown run in the third quarter and an 11-yard pass to Steve Sims Jr. late in the game.
"No, this performance defensively, it wouldn’t be," head coach Bruce Arians said when asked if Saturday’s performance would be enough to win next week. "We’ll show up and see. I think some of our guys – I don’t think veterans did, but some of our younger guys – might have relaxed when Alex Smith wasn’t playing. I kind of kept preaching at them, ‘This kid can run, he can do a lot of things.’ He almost beat us with his legs."
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White led the Buccaneers with 140 tackles and was second with 9.0 sacks during the regular season. White was the only player in the NFL with at least 100 tackles and nine sacks in 2020.
McLendon will provide much-needed depth on the defensive line after recording 17 tackles and two tackles for loss during the regular season. The Bucs acquired McLendon from the New York Jets via trade in October.
Having White and McLendon return this week is huge for Tampa Bay, who will now prepare to face the New Orleans Saints. This will be the third time the two teams meet this season, with the Saints winning twice in the regular season.
Kickoff between the Bucs and the Saints is set for 6:40 P.M. ET on Sunday night, televised on FOX.
