TAMPA, Fla. — The injury-besieged Bucs secondary is getting some reinforcements this weekend, though a key cog of the unit remains sidelined.
Pro Bowl safety Antoine Winfield Jr., in concussion protocol since a hard collision during a second-half tackle at Carolina, will miss his second straight game when the Bucs (3-5) host the Rams (3-5) on Sunday, coach Todd Bowles confirmed. Also out are tight end Cameron Brate (neck), left guard Luke Goedeke (foot) and receiver Russell Gage (hamstring).
On the positive side, previously injured cornerbacks Carlton Davis (hip) and Sean Murphy-Bunting are officially listed as questionable but still expected back after missing the last two and three games, respectively. So is defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, who was signed in the offseason to replace fellow veteran Ndamukong Suh but has remained out since sustaining a plantar fascia tear in Week Two at New Orleans.
