At the beginning of the week, the Bucs had several players out from practice. It got to the point where head coach Todd Bowles said that many players would be game-time decisions. On Friday, we found out who was able to at least get through the week to put themselves in a position to play.

Bucs DL Will Gholston Photo by: USA Today

Bowles affirmed after practice that cornerback Carlton Davis III (groin) and defensive tackle Will Gholston (knee/ankle) would be out for the pivotal game this weekend against the Packers.

Everyone else would be a game-time decision, according to Bowles. That includes nose tackle Vita Vea, inside linebacker Devin White, safety Ryan Neal and long snapper Zach Triner. Vea missed last week against the Falcons while White has been out for the last two games.

If Triner isn’t able to play, the Bucs do have long snapper Evan Deckers on the practice squad that they can call up. And if something were to happen to him in the game, Robert Hainsey would be the emergency snapper.

The Benefit Of Bucs CB Zyon McCollum

Bucs CB Zyon McCollum – Photo by: USA Today

At cornerback, Carlton Davis III and Jamel Dean have missed a combined eight games this season. Each have missed four games if you count Davis’ absence this Sunday and the potential for Dean to return. With them in and out of the lineup sporadically, Zyon McCollum has become extremely important to Tampa Bay’s defense.

The Bucs have been able to plug in and play Zyon at anytime and on either side of the field. There’s been no drop off when he enters the game that they’d be missing without the other two corners. He’s taken huge strides in his second NFL season and has essentially become a necessity at the position.

“You can never have enough [cornerbacks],” Bowles said. “The way he goes out and plays with confidence. He can play left or right side, or he can play inside – that gives us a lot of versatility that way, even when the other two are healthy. You usually get a guy that can play on the left or can play on the right or can play zone or play man – he can do everything we ask him. That’s a big luxury.”