The Bucs received some good news on Sunday morning as it pertains to the team’s injury situation.

After starting tight end Cade Otton was ruled out on Saturday, joining safety Antoine Winfield Jr. as the other player listed as “out” for the Sunday Night Football game in Dallas, Pewter Report has learned that safety Mike Edwards will play.

Edwards, who re-joined the team in November for depth purposes after being claimed off waivers, was thrust into the role of starting at strong safety once Jordan Whitehead suffered a pectoral injury at New York in the team’s 30-7 win over the Giants.

Edwards was listed as questionable on Friday and practiced at a full capacity for the first time since injuring his hamstring at Carolina back in Week 13. Edwards has missed the last two Bucs games and was only a limited practice participant on Wednesday and Thursday of last week.

Bucs KB Britt and Chiefs TE Travis Kelce – Photo by: USA Today

Edwards is expected to start at strong safety with Christian Izien starting at free safety in place of Winfield. Kaevon Merriweather will be the primary backup at safety with reserve Tavierre Thomas, who is a special teams ace, also available.

The lone player who will be a game-time decision is starting inside linebacker K.J. Britt, who has missed the last few games with a knee injury. Britt returned to practice on Thursday and was limited that day and also on Friday.

He’ll test his knee in pregame warmups to see if he can play. If not the Bucs will start reserve J.J. Russell next to Lavonte David in Britt’s place, and have Vi Jones as the primary backup.

What Happens With Cade Otton Out Of The Bucs Lineup?

The Bucs will be without another key starter for Sunday night’s primetime matchup against the Cowboys, as the team announced Saturday afternoon that it has ruled tight end Cade Otton out due to a knee injury.

Bucs TE Cade Otton – Photo by: USA Today

It’s a tough blow for the Tampa Bay offense, especially considering Otton’s involvement in the offense since midseason. Even with his production dipping back down after Mike Evans’ return after the bye, the third-year tight end has 59 catches for 600 yards (10.2 avg.) and four touchdowns this year — all career highs.

Otton’s improvement as a blocker has been a huge part of the resurgence of the Bucs’ run game this season, as Pewter Report’s Josh Queipo outlined earlier Saturday. Here’s some of what Queipo had to say about Otton’s contributions in Tampa Bay’s rushing attack:

“In short, Otton’s improvement this year has been in just about every facet of the game, both obvious and non-obvious,” Queipo wrote. “And if he is absent on Sunday it could have a real impact on how the Bucs run the ball.”

So, what happens with Tampa Bay’s run game, which is set to face a Dallas defense that ranks among the league’s worst against the run despite making some improvement in recent weeks? Queipo went on to explain what offensive coordinator Liam Coen may do with tight end Payne Durham, who will step into Otton’s starting spot.

Bucs TEs Payne Durham and Cade Otton – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“This is all to say there is a good chance that if Cade Otton can’t go on Sunday night in Dallas the Bucs may make some tweaks to how they run the football. That’s not to say they will be less successful, mind you,” Queipo wrote. “But in thinking through the pros and cons of Payne Durham’s skillset as a blocker, if Coen were to remain true to his “players over plays” mantra then he may stick with the team’s successful gap system, but adjust what type of gap plays they run.

“To maximize Durham’s skillset the Bucs will likely motion him in split flow or as a wrapper less, and ask him to base block, seal the strong side edge or double team more. That most likely means more duo blocks. It also means the team can still run counter trey that worked so well against the Chargers last week.”

You can read Josh Queipo’s full deep dive here, with analysis on Otton’s improvements as a blocker, as well as Durham’s strengths and what Tampa Bay may look to do with its ground game on Sunday night.

– Cade Otton news was written by Bailey Adams