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Jenna Laine, ESPN Staff WriterOct 21, 2024, 05:42 PM ET
- Jenna Laine covers the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for ESPN. She started covering the Bucs for ESPN in 2016, but she has covered the team since 2009. Follow Jenna on Twitter: @JennaLaineESPN.
TAMPA, Fla. — The Buccaneers placed starting cornerback Jamel Dean on injured reserve with a right hamstring injury prior to Monday night’s game against the Baltimore Ravens.
The Bucs also placed rookie wide receiver Kameron Johnson on injured reserve with an ankle injury, meaning both players will be unavailable for at least four weeks, per NFL rules.
The team activated defensive lineman Earnest Brown IV from injured reserve and punter Trenton Gill from the practice squad.
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Dean, the Bucs’ most experienced outside cornerback with 57 regular-season starts, suffered the injury in the Week 6 victory over the New Orleans Saints while making a tackle on receiver Bub Means, with his right leg buckling awkwardly underneath him. He did not return to action.
The Bucs have already been without backup cornerback Bryce Hall, whose season came to an end after suffering a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle in Week 1. The team will be expected to lean on rookie cornerback Tyrek Funderburk, who saw his first NFL defensive action last week at the Saints, and Josh Hayes, one of their top special teams performers.
This is Gill’s third consecutive elevation, and a decision looms whether the Bucs will utilize him or third-year punter Jake Camarda, who struggled early on this season with a 45.3 average through the first four games. Camarda had ranked fifth in the NFL last year with a 50.1 average.
