TAMPA, Fla. — Linebackers Devin White and Shaquil Barrett are two of the Bucs’ biggest stars on defense and among the Bucs’ best pass rushers. But neither will be able to help the Bucs sew up the No. 5 seed as an NFC wild card with a win Sunday over the Falcons.
White, Barrett and defensive tackle Steve McLendon have all been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. None of the three will play Sunday, and it’s undermined whether any or all will be available for the first round of the playoffs.
NFL teams cannot say whether a player is on the reserve/COVID-19 list as the result of a positive test or for contact tracing.
If a player tests positive for the virus, he must miss at least 10 days and possibly more if experiencing symptoms. A player who is isolated for contact tracing can return after five days if he continues to test negative for COVID-19.
White leads the Bucs with 140 tackles, including 15 for loss. His 9.0 sacks are second on the team. He also has 16 quarterback hits, four passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Barrett led the NFL in sacks last season with 19.5 and has eight in 2020.
The moves Friday are unrelated to defensive coordinator Todd Bowles’ situation. Bowles spent the week meeting virtually after having contact with someone outside of the team who had a false positive. He has been cleared to return to the facility.
The Bucs have signed former linebacker Jack Cichy from the Patriots practice squad with the loss of White and Barrett.
