The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have placed offensive linemen Nick Leverett and Earl Watford on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Neither will be available to play in Saturday's preseason game at Houston.
The Buccaneers now have three players on the COVID list, as kicker Ryan Succop was given that designation on Tuesday.
Leverett is a first-year player who started and played the entire second preseason game for the Buccaneers at center. Prior to that, he had played most of the first preseason game at left tackle, and his five-position versatility has given him an improved chance to make the 53-man roster. Final cuts are next Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Watford is a seventh-year veteran who is in his third stint with the Buccaneers. He re-signed with the team on August 12, about two weeks into training camp. Watford previously played for the Buccaneers in 2019, appearing in 15 games with four starts, and he also spent several weeks with the team during the 2020 postseason.
With Leverett and Watford unavailable, the Buccaneers have 13 offensive linemen available to play in Saturday's game against the Texans. Head Coach Bruce Arians has suggested that he will play the team's starters for at least the first half of the game.
