Tampa Bay Buccaneers rule Mark Barron out
Tampa Bay Buccaneers strong safety Mark Barron (23) against the Atlanta Falcons during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Atlanta Falcons 41-28. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Tampa Bay Buccaneers second-year strong safety Mark Barron has suffered from a few injuries this season, but that hasn’t caused him to miss any games up to this point. However, a day-before downgrade will keep Barron out of today’s game against the St. Louis Rams, as Barron has been ruled out with a hamstring injury after initially being listed questionable. According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Barron wasn’t even able to travel with the team to St. Louis, and his hamstring injury is classified as a strain.
Fellow second-year safety Keith Tandy will start in Barron’s place, and the interesting thing is that he has three interceptions on the season. Tandy isn’t nearly as good in run support as Barron which will hurt against talented running back Zac Stacy, but Tandy has also been significantly better than Barron in coverage this year.
Barron will likely return for the Buccaneers Week 17, rivalry finale against the New Orleans Saints, ready to try and play the role of the unlikely spoiler. In all honesty, Barron’s downgrade to “out” is a surprise, since his hamstring injury didn’t seem to be significant.
The Buccaneers will miss his playmaking ability, as he’s been able to rack up 88 tackles, two sacks, two picks, and a total of six passes defended this season.