Bruce Arians will be on the sidelines for the Buccaneers on Sunday in New Jersey. The defending Super Bowl champions’ head coach cleared COVID-19 protocols Saturday, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com notes.
A three-time cancer survivor, Arians contracted COVID-19 earlier this week. Arians, 69, is fully vaccinated and experienced mild symptoms, Laine adds. Assistant head coach Harold Goodwin served as the Bucs’ acting HC this week. Wide receivers coach Kevin Garver cleared virus protocols as well Saturday.
The Bucs saw a few other starters test positive this week, but the NFL changing its protocols once again has made it easier for players to return after submitting positive tests. Mike Evans, Sean Murphy-Bunting and Jamel Dean are back on Tampa Bay’s active roster. Evans is questionable for Week 17 due to a hamstring injury. Both Dean and Murphy-Bunting traveled separately to New Jersey due to their late activations.
While the Bucs will at least have their head coach and key corners back, they will be without top pass rushers Shaquil Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul due to injury. Tampa Bay also has Leonard Fournette and Lavonte David on IR. Antonio Brown is questionable to face the Jets after aggravating an ankle injury in practice. Brown has not practiced since tweaking his ankle Wednesday.