Getty Richard Sherman kept fans in the loop recently on social media and his podcast amid recovery from a hamstring injury.
After injuring his hamstring against the Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Richard Sherman assures fans he will “bounce back soon.”
“Disappointed. Going to bounce back soon. Asked a lot from my body in a short amount of time,” Sherman wrote on Twitter Friday. “Will be back better.”
Disappointed. Going to bounce back soon. Asked a lot from my body in a short amount of time. Will be back better
There’s no doubt Sherman demanded a lot of his body in a short stretch. He didn’t participate in training camp or preseason while remaining a free agent. The Bucs signed him on Sept. 29 amid a slew of injuries to the secondary.
He then started against the New England Patriots on Oct. 3 followed by games with Miami on Oct. 10 and the Eagles on Thursday. Three games in 11 days and “may have been more than his hamstring could handle”, Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith noted.
Sherman added that it’s “nothing too serious” when talking on his podcast Friday according to Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Times. The veteran corner said he still needs an MRI but believes he will be out “at most a couple of weeks” per Knight.
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Ian Rapoport, Bruce Arians Give Conflicting Updates
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Sherman’s injury “does not seem to be a major deal” on Good Morning Football Friday. Rapoport also reported that Sherman would have an MRI on Friday.
“Sounds like he’ll probably be out a couple weeks, but the MRI is going to tell the full story,” Rapoport said.
Bucs head coach Bruce Arians didn’t have as promising of an update on Sherman on Friday afternoon. Arians said the “severity of his hamstring injury is unknown” and that Sherman still needed an MRI according to ESPN’s Jenna Laine. Arians also added that Antoine Winfield Jr. “is close to clearing the concussion protocol, but he is unsure who else they might get back” Laine reported.
“It’s still going to be a crapshoot that way,” Arians said via Laine.
Bucs Searching for Answers With a Banged Up Secondary
Tampa Bay’s health in the secondary has fallen like a house of cards this season.
Cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting dislocated his elbow against Dallas in Week 1, and he’s on injured reserve for now. Fellow cornerback Carlton Davis III injured his quad at New England in Week 4, which sent him to injured reserve for at least three games.
Before Davis, cornerback Jamel Dean hurt his knee in Week 3 at Los Angeles but returned for the Week 5 game against Miami. Since his return, he has picked off two passes with the latest coming against Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Jamel Dean with his weekly INT
Dean’s performance doesn’t take away the urgency for the Bucs to address the secondary’s health. Trade rumors to find another defensive back emerged amid the pile up of injuries to the Bucs secondary. Minnesota Vikings cornerback Cameron Dantzler and New York Jets safety Marcus Maye surfaced as rumored targets before the Nov. 2 trade deadline.
Bleacher Report’s Chris Roling suggested the Dantzler trade by sending tight end O.J. Howard to the Vikings. The Bucs have significant tight end depth with Rob Gronkowski, though injured, and Cameron Brate.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported the Maye trade rumors and noted that the veteran safety once played for former Jets head coach Todd Bowles, now the Bucs’ defensive coordinator .