Second-year G Arron Sears will miss a game for the first time in his NFL career after sustaining a practice-field concussion on Wednesday
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will have to name eight players inactive before Sunday's game in Kansas City, but they're already more than halfway there.
On Saturday, as per NFL regulations, the team announced that it had left five of its 53 players behind in Tampa to receive additional medical treatment. Those five will obviously not play in Sunday's game.
The five players who did not travel to Kansas City were fullback B.J. Askew, running back Warrick Dunn, safety Jermaine Phillips, guard Arron Sears and wide receiver Maurice Stovall.
That list includes four starters, though Askew has been out with a hamstring injury since the third week of the season. Dunn sustained a back injury against Seattle in Week Seven and was able to play only sparingly against Dallas last Sunday. He did not practice this past week. The absence of both of those backs leaves the Bucs somewhat shorthanded in the offensive backfield.
What's more, the running game will be without one of its most proficient front-line blockers. Sears, the second-year man starting at left guard, will miss a game and a start for the first time in his NFL career. Sears was fine to begin the week but he suffered a mild concussion on a freak collision with a teammate in practice on Wednesday and did not work the rest of the week.
Stovall has already missed the last two contests with his own hamstring injury, and the decision to leave Phillips behind is no surprise, given that he has a left forearm fracture that is expected to keep him out at least until after the bye week.
The Buccaneers and Chiefs kick off at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.
