Linebacker Devante Bond's NFL debut is on hold.
On Friday, the Buccaneers placed Bond, a sixth-round pick in the 2016 draft, on injured reserve and filled his roster spot by re-signing linebacker Josh Keyes. Bond had not played in the first two games of the season as he recovered from a preseason hamstring injury but had returned to full participation in practice to start the week. However, Bond was not able to practice on Thursday, presumably due to a setback with the hamstring.
The Buccaneers now have three players on injured reserve, as Bond joins defensive ends George Johnson and Jacquies Smith on that list. The team does have the option to bring one of those players back to the active roster after eight weeks, and they do not have to decide which player to use that option on until later. Smith is not expected to return in 2016 after having surgery to repair a torn ACL.
Keyes was just released earlier this week but he played in the first two games of the season, appearing on special teams. His return keeps the Buccaneers' linebacking corps five strong, as Keyes and Adarius Glanton back up the starting trio of Lavonte David, Kwon Alexander and Daryl Smith. Keyes did not record any statistics in the first two games of the season but he had two kick-coverage stops last year while appearing in seven games as an undrafted rookie.
