The 3-1 Bucs head into Atlanta to face a 2-2 Falcons squad without some key players on each side of the ball. Tampa Bay is again without free safety Antoine Winfield Jr., defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, and right tackle Luke Goedeke.

Unfortunately for the team, those are not the only starters and notable players they will be without. Here is the full list of gameday inactives.

Bucs P Jake Camarda – Photo by: USA Today

To accommodate for who was listed, the Bucs decided to elevate punter Trenton Gill and wide receiver Cody Thompson from the practice squad before the game. On a short week, they again will trot out Gill, who only averaged 37.5 yards on his fourth punts against the Eagles. It is another week without Jake Camarda, who watched from the side during practice this week. With only three elevations from the practice squad available per season, one has to wonder what they decide to do about the position. Regardless, it’s not a good sign the 2022 fourth-round pick is again riding the bench.

Without Trey Palmer and Jalen McMillan, the offense has added veteran reinforcements. Earlier this week, they signed Sterling Shepard to the active roster, and now the 28-year-old Thompson gets his chance on the active roster. He impressed throughout the preseason and also could factor in on special teams. Tonight, he will be WR5 behind Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Shepard, and undrafted rookie Kameron Johnson.

The Bucs hoped that Winfield, Kancey, and Goedeke could return after lengthier absences, but they are choosing not to rush any of them back on short notice. Each of them is trending in a positive direction, and head coach Todd Bowles said that the latter two might have been able to go if the game was on Sunday. Alas, none of them will be suiting up, but reinforcements are on the way.

Falcons Missing Key Defensive Contributor Against Bucs

The Falcons do not have nearly as many notable names as the Bucs do on their inactive list. They got some positive injury news as starting right tackle Kaleb McGary will be active after it was believed he would be out for Thursday night’s contest.

It is not all positive though, and Atlanta’s defense has a big hole to fill. The athletic, rangy, stat-sheet-stuffing inside linebacker Troy Anderson leads the team’s inactive list.

Anderson was a menace against the Saints last week, recording 17 total tackles, one tackle for a loss, and returned an interception 47 yards for a touchdown. His presence will be missed and could create some opportunities for Tampa Bay’s offense up the middle. Otherwise, none of the other players listed are starters, so the Falcons go into Primetime with a healthier team.