The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers named their game-day inactives on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET, 90 minutes before kickoff of their Week Eight contest at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. NFL teams are required to reduce their active rosters to 46 players for each regular-season game.
The Buccaneers will be moving some pieces around in their secondary, as the two cornerbacks who started on the outside in last week's game are now unavailable. Brent Grimes will miss his second game of the year (also Week Three at Arizona) due to a shoulder ailment, while Robert McClain has been sidelined by a concussion. Vernon Hargreaves will move back out to the outside, where he started the first five games before moving into the slot last week, and he will be joined by second-year man Ryan Smith. Javien Elliott is expected to take over the nickel back job.
The Buccaneers are getting a little help on the defensive line, with Ryan Russell returning from a two-game absence caused by a shoulder injury.
Carolina will be missing its starting center, Ryan Kalil, who was a Pro Bowl selection in 2015. However, All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly, who missed last week's game due to a concussion, has been cleared to play and is back in the lineup.
BUCCANEERS INACTIVES
- TE Antony Auclair
- CB Brent Grimes
- C Joe Hawley
- CB Robert McClain
- CB Josh Robinson
- DT Sealver Siliga
- T Leonard Wester
Grimes, McClain and Robinson are out due to injury.
PANTHERS INACTIVES
- FB Alex Armah
- DE Bryan Cox, Jr.
- QB Garrett Gilbert
- CB LaDarius Gunter
- C Ryan Kalil
- T John Theus
- RB Fozzy Whittaker
Armah Kalil, Theus and Whittaker are out due to injury.
