Bucs’ Sherman on injured reserve, out for postseason
Richard Sherman hoped to help the Bucs to another Super Bowl when he signed with the team in September. But if Tampa Bay reaches the NFL title game a second straight year, he won’t be playing in it.
For the second time this season, the Bucs placed the five-time Pro Bowl cornerback on injured reserve, this time with an Achilles injury.
Sherman said he will remain with the team and help in a coaching capacity.
“Didn’t go how I wanted it to, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to strap it up again!” the former Stanford standout said on Twitter. “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 it all it had and I’m grateful.”
Sherman, 33, who helped the 49ers reach Super Bowl LIV, was signed as a free agent to bolster an injuryriddled secondary. But he played in only five games with the Bucs, recording 11 tackles, one interception and a fumble recovery.
Sherman played three games in 12 days after signing with the Bucs. After being in Tampa Bay for only three days of practice, he played 98% of the defensive snaps in a 19-17 win Oct. 4 at New England. It was his best performance, as he had seven tackles and recovered a fumble.
He missed two games before suffering a calf injury in warmups before a Nov. 14 game at Washington and went on injured reserve for the first time. Players placed on injured reserve must miss at least three weeks before they are eligible to be activated. WEDDLE UNRETIRES TO JOIN RAMS >> Safety Eric Weddle is coming out of retirement to rejoin the Los Angeles Rams for the playoffs.
Weddle turned 37 last week, and he hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2019 season, but the Rams signed him to their practice squad to address their glaring need at safety.
Leading tackler Jordan Fuller is out for the playoffs with a right ankle injury, and fellow starting safety Taylor Rapp is in the concussion protocol.
Weddle retired in February 2020 after one season with the Rams in which he made 108 tackles and called the defense’s signals. The Los Angeles-area native spent his first 11 NFL seasons with the San Diego Chargers and Baltimore Ravens before his year with the Rams on Wade Phillips’ defense.
The NFC West champion Rams (12-5) return to practice Thursday ahead of their visit from the Arizona Cardinals (11-6) on Monday night. The Rams were off Wednesday, but Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury noted Weddle’s surprising comeback.
“He must be living a lot healthier lifestyle than I was after I retired,” Kingsbury said. “He was a fantastic player a couple of years ago. All-Pro, Pro Bowl, one of the smartest defensive players that anybody ever speaks about. If anybody can do it, there’s no doubt he can.”
The Rams missed the playoffs in Weddle’s only season with the team. The two-time All-Pro selection and six-time Pro Bowler with 29 career interceptions has appeared in just one playoff game since 2013, but the Utah product is seizing the chance to fill in for a defense that desperately needs help.
Fuller, the Rams’ leading tackler and defensive signal caller, is out for the season after injuring his ankle late in the Rams’ overtime loss to the 49ers on Sunday.
TV RATINGS HIGHEST IN SIX YEARS >> An extra week of games, close finishes and a non-election year helped propel the NFL to its highest regular-season ratings in six years.
The 272 regular-season games averaged 17.1 million viewers across television and digital platforms, that is a 10% increase over 2020 and is the league’s highest average since 2015.
It was expected that the audience would increase after the 2020 season was played in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, with empty stadiums presenting a strange viewing dynamic, and many people’s viewing habits changing. The first half of that season also occurred in the midst of a presidential campaign, when many were watching cable news channels.
This was also the first season when the league played 17 regular-season games. Despite the extra games, there were not many blowouts. According to the league, 64% of all games this season were within one score in the fourth quarter.