Buccaneers Rule Out Antonio Brown vs. Saints

Antonio Brown will miss his second game in a row with a sprained ankle.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians ruled wide receiver Antonio Brown out against the New Orleans Saints on Friday, marking the second week in a row that Brown will be inactive as he recovers from a sprained ankle.

Brown appeared on the Buccaneers injury report last week with the injury, seemingly suffered against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 6 as Brown took the field for less than 50 percent of Tampa Bay's snaps in that game, his lowest count since Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons.

In five games this season, Brown has tallied 29 receptions on 42 targets for 418 yards and four touchdowns. He was on a roll after missing Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams while on the reserve/COVID-19 list, catching 23 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns in three consecutive games before the ankle injury.

Once again, the Buccaneers will look to second-year receiver Tyler Johnson to fill in for Brown within the offense. It wouldn't be a surprise to see rookie receiver Jaelon Darden's role increase as he earned 13 offensive snaps against Chicago while Brown was sidelined, in addition to starting kick and punt return duties.

As Greg Auman of The Athletic mentioned, Brown is the only player the Buccaneers ruled out on Friday, leaving the door open for tight end Rob Gronkowski (ribs), linebacker Lavonte David (ankle), and cornerbacks Richard Sherman (hamstring) and Dee Delaney (ankle) to potentially play on Sunday.

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