Tampa Bay Buccaneers Roster, Injury News 2017: Jameis Winston on Track to Return for Sunday's Game
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could get Jameis Winston back in time for their game against the Green Bay Packers this Sunday.
During a press conference on Monday, Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter revealed that Winston had a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam on his right shoulder earlier in the day, and he would be cleared to return to the practice field on Wednesday if he feels fine after doing some rehab exercises on Tuesday.
"Until he is officially cleared, we will be making the game plan both ways and we will see what happens come Wednesday," Koetter said, via the Buccaneers' official website.
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Winston originally injured his throwing shoulder in their week six game against the Arizona Cardinals, but he would continue to play through the pain until he re-injured it again in their 30–10 loss to the New Orleans Saints earlier this month.
The Pro Bowler missed the past three games due to the injury, but his condition seems to have improved after he underwent platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy.
"I'm told a couple weeks ago he had PRP injections — platelet-rich plasma treatment — in other words, blood spinning," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said on Sunday. "[It is] something that is used often, especially by high-profile athletes, during rehab to quicken the recovery. It takes about two weeks to take hold for Winston," he added.
The Bucs have actually played really well while he was sidelined. With Ryan Fitzpatrick under center, the team has won two straight games before they fell to the Atlanta Falcons 34–20 last Sunday.
But despite their recent success with Fitzpatrick running the offense, Koetter has clarified that Winston would get the starting job back once he returns to the lineup.
"It's my experience in the NFL that when your starting players are cleared to play, they return to be your full-time players," Koetter stated.
