-
Jenna Laine, ESPN Staff Writer
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers activated cornerback Jamel Dean off injured reserve and downgraded All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs to doubtful Saturday in advance of Sunday’s Week 12 game at the New York Giants.
Dean suffered a hamstring injury in Week 6 at the New Orleans Saints and spent two to three hours per day at the team facility during the bye week.
“I’m ready now,” Dean said Monday. “I spent the whole bye week getting back into football shape. … It was a whole circuit of different things. Shoutout to our trainers for running me to failure. It was much needed.”
Dean joked about the short rest periods he took in between sprints.
“You probably take a sip of water and then, ‘Alright, we’re back on the line,'” Dean said, adding that his response was, “‘What? That was like five seconds,'” but that his hamstring held up well.
Bucs coach Todd Bowles, however, needed to see Dean practice all week to determine if he was in football shape before activating him. Dean was a full participant in each practice.
Wirfs suffered a sprained MCL in Week 10 prior to the Buccaneers’ bye week. His prognosis has been considered “week to week” by the Bucs’ training staff, and he was able to practice in a limited capacity this week. If he can’t go, he’ll be replaced by Justin Skule.
“We want to be smart and make sure he’s OK for the rest of the way,” Bowles said of Wirfs on Friday. “He’s getting a little better day by day. We’ll see. It’s going to go right up until Sunday for him.”
Wirfs echoed that Thursday, expressing is desire to be out there, but also conveying that the team needs him down the stretch in hopes of reaching the postseason. At 4-6, the Bucs will likely need to mount the same type of late season push they had last year when they won five out of their last six games.
“For what we’re trying to do down the stretch, I don’t want to mess anything up, but at the same time, I don’t want to let the boys down — I want to be out there with them, fighting,” Wirfs said. “I think I definitely have to be a little smart. I got a couple of texts saying to be smart.”
Dean is only one piece of the puzzle for the Bucs’ cornerbacks, as their other starter on the outside, Zyon McCollum, has also been dealing with a hamstring injury that he suffered in Week 10. It’s considered a more minor injury than Dean’s, and it kept him out Wednesday and Thursday, but he fully participated in Friday’s practice.
Their starting nickelback, Tykee Smith, will once again be out this week after suffering a knee injury in the leadup to Week 10 and he’ll be replaced by Christian Izien, a native of Far Rockaway, New York, who played college football at Rutgers.
The Bucs have also elevated inside linebacker Vi Jones from the practice squad and they have waived inside linebacker Antonio Grier.