The big news on the injury front headed into the Tampa Bay Buccaneers preseason game with the Tennessee Titans is the NFL debut of Mark Barron. Tampa Bay's highly-touted first-round pick missed their opener against the Miami Dolphins, but he's expected to take the field on Friday.
In a conversation with reporters on Wednesday, Barron was excited for his first NFL game:
"I was looking forward to last week," Barron said. "But unfortunately, I wasn't able to play. Those same feelings are carrying into this game. I'm ready to get out there and get a feel for the game."
Barron was seen as a coach on the field in his time at Alabama, with Nick Saban reportedly raving about his football IQ to NFL teams.
The status of two injured players, CB Aqib Talib, who missed the Dolphins game with a hamstring injury, and TE Luke Stocker, who has been held out of the last two practices with an undisclosed ailment, is still unclear.
WR Arrelious Benn and CB E.J. Biggers, who have missed the entire pre-season, are expected to remain on the sidelines on Friday.
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