There was good and bad news for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday regarding player availability for their Week Seven Game at Carolina.
On one hand, tackle Josh Wells was activated from injured reserve, restoring some depth to the team's offensive line. On the other, cornerback Carlton Davis was downgraded on the injury report to "out" and will not be available on Sunday when the Buccaneers take on the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte.
Davis had originally been listed as questionable on the Buccaneers' Friday injury report due to a hip injury. The change in his status means Tampa Bay's secondary will be missing three regulars, with cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting also out due to a quad injury and safety Logan Ryan on injured reserve with a foot ailment. The Bucs added some depth on Saturday by elevating cornerback Anthony Chesley and safety Nolan Turner from the practice squad.
Davis started the first six games of the season and is tied for the team lead with four passes defensed. He has also recorded 30 tackles, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. His 52 passes defensed since the start of the 2019 season is second among all players in the NFL.
The Buccaneers will have four cornerbacks active for Sunday's game against the Panthers, including Chesley, starter Jamel Dean and reserves Zyon McCollum and Dee Delaney.
Wells was placed on injured reserve on September 21 after sustaining a calf injury in Tampa Bay's Week Two win at New Orleans. He was designated to return from IR on Tuesday after missing the required minimum of four games. Wells had started that contest in the Superdome in place of left tackle Donovan Smith, who has since returned from his elbow injury. The activation of Wells puts the Buccaneers' O-Line depth back at nine players, as he joins Brandon Walton, Nick Leverett and Fred Johnson as the four reserves.
Wells is in his fourth year with the Buccaneers after spending his first five seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has appeared in 86 games with 18 starts in his career, including 47 and nine with the Buccaneers.
