TAMPA, Fla. ? Receiver Antonio Brown joined the Bucs Wednesday, attending meetings and working with strength and conditioning coaches while the team practiced in the indoor facility.
Brown, who agreed to a one-year contract, is serving an eight-game suspension and set to return on Tuesday, Nov. 3. In July, the NFL suspended Brown for eight games under the league's personal-conduct policy for his role in a January dispute with a moving company employee, for which he pleaded no contest to burglary and battery charges and received two years probation.
Brown had a long conversation Wednesday with coach Bruce Arians.
"He looks fantastic," Arians said. "I think we had really good conversations today, he and I. He was in the meetings and everything and he's working with Anthony Piroli and the strength staff. He looks in great shape and ready to go next week."
The Bucs' reason for signing Brown was to provide "an insurance policy" against more injuries to their receivers. Right on cue, Chris Godwin underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a broken left index finger and will miss Monday night's game and perhaps the following week against the Saints.
Arians said it's injuries such as Godwin's that made the Bucs sign Brown.
"There's no doubt about it. I was totally surprised by it when we got back," Arians said of Godwin's finger. "He looked fine leaving the stadium and to find out he has to have surgery. I think it's very optimistic that he'll be back in a week. But it could be possible. We don't know really how long. So, yeah, that's why we have the insurance policy."
What makes Arians so sure Brown will abide by all the team's protocols?
"He wants to play," Arians said. "If you want to play, you've got to do it. In our conversation today, it's go to football practice, go to work and go home and go back to work. And he's all in. I don't think we'll have those kinds of problems."
