Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston progressed from not throwing at all on Wednesday to throwing tennis balls on Thursday and footballs on Friday, which was a pretty easy way of illustrating the progress he was making in dealing with the right thumb injury he suffered in last Sunday’s win over the Colts.
All of that followed word that a visit to a specialist left the team feeling confident that Winston would start against the Lions this weekend and that’s just how things have wound up playing out in Tampa. Head coach Bruce Arians confirmed that Winston will be in the lineup on Sunday.
“He’s fine. He’s ready to go,” Arians said, via Greg Auman of TheAthletic.com.
Winston won’t have wide receiver Mike Evans to throw to on Sunday. He’s been ruled out with a hamstring injury and is not expected to play again this season. Left tackle Donovan Smith is set to be a game-time decision after missing practice all week with a knee injury.