Last year, around this time, Da’Quan Bowers slid down the draft board, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers snagged him in the middle of the second round. He slid down the draft board largely as a result of long-term health concerns. This, however, was not the concern.
The Buccaneers announced today that Da’Quan Bowers tore one of his Achilles tendons during the Buccaneers’ offseason workout program. It was not announced, and is likely not yet known, whether the tear was a full tear or a partial tear. Despite the lack of knowledge, Bowers believes he’ll be playing this season.
2013?? Get real… I’m playing THIS year 2012
— Da’Quan Bowers (@DaQuanBowers91) May 10, 2012
Bowers played in all 16 games last season, although he started off very slow. Bowers recorded just 1.5 sacks last season to go along with his 25 tackles. Michael Bennett will likely step in as the starter if Bowers is unable to be ready by the start of the season which seems likely. While Tampa Bay does have an adequate replacement for Bowers, the injury does leave the Buccaneers thin at defensive end. Even worse, in a pass driven league, it’s likely that they don’t have enough solid rushers to get consistent pressure on the opposing quarterback, especially late in the game.
While the loss of Bowers may not be debilitating, it’s just one more issue that Greg Schiano will have to deal with in his first season. The Buccaneers need all the help that they can get, and this news simply isn’t pushing them in the right direction.
