The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots named their game-day inactives on Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m. ET, 85 minutes before kickoff of their Week Five 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 once again be without two of their starting linebackers, Kwon Alexander and Lavonte David, due to leg injuries. Alexander will miss his third game in a row, David his second. In addition, the team will be without safeties Keith Tandy and T.J. Ward, which means rookie Justin Evans will get his first NFL start opposite Chris Conte. The Buccaneers promoted first-year player Isaiah Johnson from the practice squad in order to have a third safety available; Johnson is set to play in his first regular-season NFL game.
The Buccaneers' offense, on the other hand, gets a player back, although not from injury. RB Doug Martin will play in his first game of the season after finishing the league suspension that began at the end of the 2016 campaign. The Buccaneers will keep all four of their tailbacks active: Martin, Jacquizz Rodgers, Charles Sims and Peyton Barber.
New England will be without TE Rob Gronkowski, who was a late addition to the weekly injury report with a hip ailment. RB Rex Burkhead will miss his third straight game, and starting DT Alan Branch is also sidelined for the evening.
BUCCANEERS INACTIVES
- LB Kwon Alexander
- LB Lavonte David
- C Joe Hawley
- DT Sealver Siliga
- S Keith Tandy
- S T.J. Ward
- T Leonard Wester
Alexander, David, Tandy and Ward are out due to injury.
PATRIOTS INACTIVES
- DT Alan Branch
- RB Rex Burkhead
- OL Cole Croston
- TE Rob Gronkowski
- LB Harvey Langi
- CB Eric Rowe
- OL LaAdrian Waddle
Burkhead and Rowe are out due to injury.
