For just the third time in his eight-year career, Tampa Bay Buccaneers tackle Donovan Smith will sit out a game due to injury.
Smith suffered a hyperextended elbow in the Buccaneers' season-opening win at Dallas a week ago and was unable to suit up for this Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome. Josh Wells will start in his place at left tackle. Smith also missed a single contest each in the 2019 and 2020 seasons but has overall been on the field for 112 of the past 114 Bucs games.
The Buccaneers will also be without starting wide receiver Chris Godwin, who sustained a hamstring injury in Dallas, which was his first game back since a significant knee injury suffered last December against the Saints. Godwin was ruled out for the game on Friday and the Buccaneers also had four other receivers listed as questionable: Mike Evans, Russell Gage, Julio Jones and Breshad Perriman. Jones will be inactive due to a knee injury but the other three were cleared to play.
The Buccaneers and Saints submitted their list of inactives at 11:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, 90 minutes before the scheduled kickoff of their Week Two matchup. The Buccaneers had elevated wide receiver Kaylon Geiger and inside linebacker Kenny Young from the practice squad on Saturday, giving them a 55-man roster for the game. That means they had to name seven inactives in order to get down to the active game limit of 48. The Saints elevated defensive tackle Christian Ringo from the practice squad and thus had to name six players inactive on Sunday.
The Saints will be without second-year cornerback Paulson Adebo for the second game in a row. Last week, veteran Bradley Roby started in his place. The New Orleans offense will also be without one of its cornerstone pieces, as running back Alvin Kamara is sidelined by an injury to his ribs. Starting quarterback Jameis Winston was also on the Saints' injury report, listed as questionable due to a back injury, but he has been cleared to play.
BUCCANEERS INACTIVES
- WR Chris Godwin
- WR Julio Jones
- CB Zyon McCollum
- TE Kyle Rudolph
- T Donovan Smith
- QB Kyle Trask
- RB Ke'Shawn Vaughn
Godwin, Jones, McCollum and Smith are out due to injury.
SAINTS INACTIVES
- CB Paulson Adebo
- G/T Wyatt Davis
- RB Alvin Kamara
- WR Tre'Quan Smith
- DE Payton Turner
- TE Nick Vannett
Adebo, Kamara and Smith are out due to injury.
