By james art Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said Thursday that Irving (toe) may not practice until the end of the Week 9 preseason and that he will likely have to deal with his toe injury for the rest of the season, Scott Smith reports from the Buccaneers official website.
Irving played this past weekend after logging a DNP-DNP-LP practice pattern, and Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers’ official site reports that a similar ramping regimen will likely be used before Monday’s game against the Chiefs. Ultimately, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Irving practice regularly in that capacity throughout the season, given Bowles’ comments. During the Week 8 loss to the Falcons, Irvin rushed nine times for 44 yards and caught all seven targets for 40 yards, working as part of a timeshare with Rachaad White. With Mike Evans (hamstring) out for Week 9 and Chris Godwin (ankle) out for the year, both Irving and White could play key roles in the receiving game against Kansas City.