Tampa Bay Buccaneers Mason Foster ruled out

Tampa Bay Buccaneers middle linebacker Mason Foster suffered a shoulder injury against the St. Louis Rams in Week 2, and we later learned that he sustained a dislocated shoulder. After practicing throughout the week, it looked like he would be able to make his return this week for the big rivalry matchup against the New Orleans Saints, but, unfortunately, practice statuses don’t always work out that way.

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According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, the Buccaneers have ruled out Foster with the shoulder injury, so former New England Patriots ace backup Dane Fletcher will man the middle linebacker spot. Fletcher is the perfect kind of player to have as a backup, and he does a nice job of shoring things up in coverage. That will allow him to help contain a top pass-catching back like Pierre Thomas, but the Buccaneers best shot at mitigating Jimmy Graham in some fashion is receiving good safety play in coverage.

Foster recorded nine tackles in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers before barely playing against the Rams due to the shoulder dislocation. He isn’t much of a factor on defense, though he did make some plays last season with three interceptions. His inactive status for today’s game isn’t a big surprise, but any injury is a blow against a talented rival team like the Saints.