The already banged-up Buccaneers faced more setbacks on Sunday, despite defeating the Eagles 33-16. With a quick turnaround for Thursday night’s game against the Falcons, it becomes increasingly challenging for injured players to recover in time.
Second-year inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis, who has been sharing time with K.J. Britt, exited early in the game due to a shoulder injury, managing only five snaps before leaving. Britt took over for the remainder of the match, playing 51 snaps and recording six tackles.
**Significant Injury for Bucs’ ILB SirVocea Dennis**
Dennis had previously missed preseason and several training camp practices due to a shoulder injury. With this latest issue potentially being the most serious yet, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles provided an update, suggesting Dennis may be facing a lengthy absence.
“SirVocea got pretty nicked up with his shoulder,” Bowles stated. “I think he hurt it pretty bad. We’re going to see how bad.”
Not only will Dennis miss Thursday’s game, but he might also be sidelined for several weeks during a challenging part of the schedule that includes matchups against the Falcons, Saints, Ravens, Falcons again, Chiefs, and 49ers leading up to their bye in Week 11.
While Britt is a regular starter ready to step in, Dennis has proven to be the stronger linebacker in pass coverage, which is why they have been alternating throughout games. The Bucs might continue to use Britt during passing situations, and they also have J.J. Russell and rookie Antonio Grier Jr. on the practice squad, who could be called up. Additionally, Bowles mentioned they might consider different defensive formations, like dime packages, which would allow them to use just Lavonte David and remove another linebacker.
“We’re mulling that over right now,” Bowles said. “There’s a bunch of different directions we can go. We’ll see which one fits for the game.”
