Carmen Vitali | Staff Writer | Buccaneers.com
The Buccaneers will see some shifting in their secondary as both Isaiah Johnson and Justin Evans have been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Saints. Coach Koetter said Friday that the Bucs will be dressing nine defensive backs but didn’t say specifically which positions would make up those nine. You’ll likely see players stepping into different roles to account for the injuries to the safety group. The good news is that cornerback M.J. Stewart looks like he could play for the first time in weeks and there is a chance, though slim, that cornerback Carlton Davis could join him.
With the rash of injuries to the secondary and linebacking corps, the Bucs have gotten creative with how they utilize certain players. For example, though he’s listed as a safety, Andrew Adams (who had three picks against the Panthers last week, in case you hadn’t heard already) was used as more of a linebacker as the Bucs elected to put more defensive backs (by trade) on the field in nickel and dime sub-packages. With Carlton Davis and M.J. Stewart out, it was Javien Elliott, Ryan Smith and Brent Grimes who covered the corner spots. Safety Justin Evans has been battling a toe injury and Isaiah Johnson was able to step in with rookie Jordan Whitehead but Johnson suffered a concussion last Sunday and has not cleared protocol as of Friday. The Bucs picked up safety Josh Shaw a couple weeks ago and he’s now had a chance to get his feet wet in the Bucs’ system but look for a few unique combinations when it comes to the defensive personnel on the field. ...
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