Jason Pierre-Paul’s presence at Bucs’ practice on Tuesday sparked intrigue about his timetable to return, especially after he was cleared to continue his rehab.
Tampa Bay will have to wait a little longer though, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times has reported that the Bucs have placed Pierre-Paul on the NFI list.
Bucs have placed Jason Pierre-Paul on the reserve Non Football Injury list, meaning he will not be eligible to play the first six weeks of the season.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) August 30, 2019
By putting him on this list, Pierre-Paul will not be eligible to return to the Bucs’ roster until after the first six games of the regular season. The first game he could be back for is October 27th on the road against the Tennessee Titans.
In replacement of Pierre-Paul on the edge, the Bucs will be relying on Carl Nassib on one side of the line with Noah Spence and Shaq Barrett on the other. Spence has been the starter opposite of Nassib for the preseason, but Barrett had a dominant game on Thursday, and could be closing the gap for that starting position.