TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Richard Sherman will be out for a few weeks with a hamstring injury, a source confirmed to ESPN on Monday. An MRI confirmed the initial diagnosis for a pulled hamstring, suffered Thursday night in the Bucs’ 28-22 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Sherman suffered the injury on the seventh play of the Bucs’ first defensive series, pulling up while racing over to try to tackle Quez Watkins on a 23-yard reception.
It was Sherman’s third game in 12 days after not having played or practiced in 288 days, which illustrates just how dire the Bucs’ defensive backfield situation has become.
Starters Sean Murphy-Bunting and Carlton Davis are on injured reserve. Per league rules, Murphy-Bunting was eligible to return to play last week (NFL rules mandate a minimum of three weeks for injured reserve), but he is still recovering from a dislocated elbow. Davis was placed on injured reserve after suffering a quadriceps injury in Week 4 at the New England Patriots.
Jamel Dean also missed a week with a knee injury but has since returned. The team is hopeful that safety Antoine Winfield Jr., who suffered a concussion in Week 4, will clear the concussion protocol this week. The Bucs are also currently without team captain and inside linebacker Lavonte David, who suffered a low-ankle sprain in Week 5.
Without Sherman, the team could turn to Dee Delaney or Pierre Desir, who have both stepped in at different times for injured starters. Delaney stepped in for Sherman on Thursday night due to Desir’s role in nickel and dime sub-packages, and Desir stepped in for Davis when he got injured in Foxborough.
The NFL Network first reported Sherman’s injury and the time he’ll miss.