The Buccaneers already placed defensive end Noah Spence on injured reserve. Coach Dirk Koetter confirmed Spence is not a candidate to return as his injury is season ending.
Spence needs a second shoulder surgery, Koetter said, via multiple tweets. Koetter added he does not whether it’s a long-term problem.
The Bucs’ 2016 second-round draft pick played in three games this season with one sack. Spence played 35 of 68 snaps in the team’s loss to the Bills on Sunday, but he dislocated his shoulder for a fourth time in the past two seasons, including the second time this year.
Koetter said the Bucs had to “shut down” Spence because the shoulder harness was not preventing the dislocations.
“It’s just unfortunate,” Koetter said, via quotes distributed by the team. “Noah’s toughness is beyond question because most guys that have that injury are out three to four weeks right off the bat. It’s the same shoulder that Noah had last year, [but] when it happened in Minnesota he went in and put a harness on and went right back in the game. Any time a guy has a shoulder that’s coming out, they’ll let you play in a harness until it starts coming out more often and then the doctors have to shut it down. Noah [has] incredible toughness. He did everything that was asked of him from a rehab standpoint. [It was] just a real unfortunate break for him. Injuries are one thing that nobody has any control over. [They’re] just an unfortunate part of the game.”