Buccaneers Wednesday Injury Report: Jamel Dean, Chris Godwin Updates
Back at practice and preparing to face the 6-6 Minnesota Vikings at home on Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have released their Wednesday injury report.
Of note, cornerback Jamel Dean did not practice as he deals with a sore groin. Dean missed Tampa's last game against Kansas City with a concussion but has cleared league protocol, according to head coach Bruce Arians.
Wide receiver Chris Godwin underwent a procedure on Tuesday morning to remove pins from a broken left index finger suffered in October. Godwin has played with pins in his finger for four games, catching 24 passes for 283 yards and a touchdown in that stretch.
"There was no way with that finger – having the pins taken out – that I was going to let the ball touch him," Arians said about Godwin on Wednesday. "He went through walkthrough and caught one upside down [and] backwards, but he's not going to catch any balls until Friday."
Along with Dean and Godwin, linebacker Lavonte David (not injury related) and nose tackle Steve McClendon (elbow) did not participate on Wednesday.
Wide receiver Mike Evans (hamstring), outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul (knee), and left tackle Donovan Smith (ankle) were limited. Smith played through the Kansas City game with the injury, which he suffered against the Los Angeles Rams.
For the Vikings, several notable players were either absent or limited in today's practice: Linebacker Eric Kendricks (calf), tight ends Kyle Rudolph (foot) and Irv Smith (back), and running back Alexander Mattison (illness) were all DNPs. Kendricks, one of the Vikings' top defenders, was a late scratch against Jacksonville this past Saturday.
Starting offensive linemen Garrett Bradbury (abdomen), Ezra Cleveland (ankle) and Riley Reiff (ankle) were limited, along with cornerback Jeff Gladney (calf) and defensive end D.J. Wonnum (ankle/back).
