If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are to repeat as Super Bowl champions, they will have to do so without the services of veteran cornerback Richard Sherman.
According to Jenna Laine of ESPN, the Buccaneers placed Sherman on injured reserve Tuesday because of an Achilles issue. Sherman already spent time on IR during the fall and, thus, won't be eligible for the postseason tournament per NFL rules.
Tampa Bay hosts the Philadelphia Eagles in a wild-card matchup on Sunday afternoon.
Sherman reacted to Tuesday's news via Twitter:
Didn’t go how I wanted it to but I’m grateful for the opportunity to strap it up again! Look forward to continuing this journey with my teammates and coaching my butt off. Thank you for all the support this season. The body gave all it had and I’m grateful.
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) January 11, 2022
As the five-time Pro Bowl selection alluded to, he will continue to work with Buccaneers defensive backs as a locker-room leader and coach.
Sherman, 33, joined the Buccaneers in late September as a free agent roughly three months after he was arrested for his part in an alleged burglary and domestic violence incident. He appeared in three games but then missed over a month of action because of a hamstring injury, and his initial return from that setback had to be postponed because he hurt his calf warming up before the Week 10 loss at the Washington Football Team. Sherman last played against the Carolina Panthers in Week 16.
He ends the season with 11 total tackles, one interception, one fumble recovery, and one pass breakup.
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