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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will play their regular season finale on Sunday without two of their top defensive playmakers and another key reserve.
On Friday, the Buccaneers placed linebacker Devin White, outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett and defensive lineman Steve McLendon on the reserve / COVID-19 list. They will miss Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, in which Tampa Bay will look to clinch the Wild Card’s top spot in the NFC playoffs with a win.
The new reserve list category has been created for a player who has tested positive for COVID-19 or who has been quarantined after being in close contact with an infected person (s). If a player falls into one of these categories, his club is required to immediately place the player on the reserve / COVID-19 list. In accordance with agreed NFL-NFLPA policy, clubs are not permitted to comment on player health other than roster status. Clubs cannot reveal if the player is in quarantine or if he is positive for COVID-19.
White and Barrett are two of three Buccaneers who have more than eight sacks this season, along with outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul. The Bucs and Steelers are the only two teams in the NFL with three players with at least eight sacks. McLendon, who came in October in a trade with the New York Jets, has since provided valuable depth on the inside line.
White is the Buccaneers’ main tackle with 140 saves, which is tied for third in the NFL. He also has 15 tackles for the loss, 9.0 sacks, 16 quarterback hits, four defenses, one forced fumble and one fumble recovered. He’s the only NFL player with at least 100 tackles and nine bags.
Barrett recorded 57 tackles, 8.0 sacks, 11 tackles for the loss of 16 quarterback hits, three defenses and two forced fumbles. According to the NFL statistics service Radar360, Barrett is tied for fourth in the NFL with 40 quarterback presses.
McLendon has played all nine games since the trade and contributed 17 tackles and two tackles for a loss, mostly serving as a replacement for nose tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches.
White and Barrett both started each of the Buccaneers’ first 15 games. They helped the Tampa Bay defense to place sixth in net yards allowed, seventh in runs against, fifth in yards against per game, first in rushing yards per game, first in yards against per carry, eighth in yards against per game. pass, sixth in sacks per pass attempt and fifth in first downs allowed per game.
The Buccaneers have two reserve inside linebackers on the roster, veteran Kevin Minter and rookie Chapel Russell. Minter started two games for the Whites last year when the then rookie linebacker missed three games with a knee injury. The team’s depth at outside linebacker includes second-year man Anthony Nelson and undrafted rookie Cam Gill. Nelson recorded his first career sack in last week’s victory in Detroit.
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