On Tuesday, the Bucs announced they have placed running back Giovani Bernard on injured reserve. The veteran back was injured near the end of the first half against Buffalo. While attempting to pick up a blitz, Bernard was accidentally caught in the crossfire of a Donovan Smith pancake block. Bucs trainers helped Bernard gingerly off the field before a cart took him to the locker room.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Bernard suffered two injuries on Sunday. Originally diagnosed with a hip issue, Bernard also hurt his knee in the collision.
#Bucs RB Giovani Bernard suffered an MCL injury in addition to a hip strain in Sunday’s win over the #Bills, per source. Expect him to miss some time.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 13, 2021
With Bernard on injured reserve, expect to see an uptick in snaps for Ronald Jones. The Bucs former feature back has played just 142 snaps this season, compared to 450 a year ago. Jones has rushed for 274 yards and three touchdowns on 63 carries. In his place, Leonard Fournette has seized the feature running back role. Fournette has dominated the opportunities this season, rushing for 778 yards and eight scores while catching 62 passes for 421 yards.
Bernard could return for the final week of the regular season, per the NFL’s new injured reserve rules. But it seems unlikely he’ll return this regular season. In his place, expect to see Ke’Shawn Vaughn active each week. Vaughn has eight carries for 31 yards in two games this season. That’s actually as many carries as Bernard, who had eight attempts for 58 yards on the season. The former Bengal did catch 23 passes for 123 yards and three touchdowns before his injury.