The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been without star running back Bucky Irving for the past five games, with the former Oregon star dealing with ankle and shoulder issues.
Well, on Wednesday, there was a big development -- Irving was on the practice field.
Cue the celebrations, Buccaneers fans.
Well, not so fast, as head coach Todd Bowles tempered what having Irving on the field meant as far as his impending return to the team.
"Again, it was a walk-through," Bowles said. "He was limited today. We'll see what he does tomorrow and does Friday. But it's good to have him back out there, and it's the first steps to him becoming positive and starting to work his way back."
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Bucky Irving update a big boost for Buccaneers
Yes, it was "only" a walk-through, but the fact that Irving was out on the field and participating, albeit in a limited fashion, is a big step.
We haven't seen Bucky on the practice field for a while, and now that he is, that is a surefire sign that his return is getting closer, and that is a big deal for an offense that, in his absense, has struggled to run the football effectively and efficiently as it did with Irving out on the field.
Granted, having been out for so long, the Buccaneers aren't going to rush him back; there will be a ramp-up period, and when he does hit the field on game day, I'd imagine that he could very well be on a snap-count, at least initially.
Either way, it appears that after such a long time out, one of Tampa Bay's best and most effective weapons is one step closer to terrorizing the NFL once again.
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