Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano confirmed Monday that defensive end Adrian Clayborn will miss the remainder of the 2012 season with a knee injury.
Clayborn suffered the injury during Sunday's loss against the Dallas Cowboys, on a play when Gerald McCoy sacked Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.
A 2011 first round pick by the Buccaneers, Clayborn has yet to miss a game in his professional career. That streak, unfortunately, will come to an end this Sunday, when the Buccaneers host the Washington Redskins.
As a result of Clayborn's injury, the Buccaneers could change their defensive scheme, using three down linemen defensively instead of four.
The exact nature of injury Clayborn suffered wasn't specified, as Schiano said it was "one of those three-letter deals." As the folks over at Bucs Nation point out, an ACL tear would require a lengthy rehab, and would be far more detrimental to Clayborn's development compared to an MCL or PCL injury.
This story originally appeared on SBNation.com.
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