After a strong start to the season, Tampa Bay Buccaneers star tight end Rob Gronkowski may now miss a considerable amount of time due to a rib injury.
As noted by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Gronkowski suffered multiple fractured ribs during the Buccaneers' 34-24 road loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3.
For the moment, the veteran tight end will not feature in Tampa Bay's upcoming road showdown with the New England Patriots, and there is a possibility that he could be sidelined for “multiple weeks” due to the injury.
As noted, Gronkowski suffered the injury during last week's clash with the Rams. At first, the Buccaneers tight end left the game in the third quarter after taking a hard hit from Rams linebacker Terrell Lewis. However, he did make his return to the contest later in the quarter and wound up finishing with four receptions for 58 receiving yards.
Tampa Bay opted to hold Gronkowski out of practice all this week, which included ruling him out from Friday's scheduled session. While he was initially ruled as doubtful for the clash with the Patriots, he was subsequently listed as out on Saturday — and he could possibly miss more time due to the injury.
While much attention has been centered on quarterback Tom Brady facing the Patriots for the first time in his career, this game was also slated to be a return matchup for Gronkowski as well. The longtime tight end was selected to five Pro Bowls during his run in New England and played a vital role in its last three Super Bowl title wins.
In the meantime, Tampa Bay will call upon tight ends O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate to help replace Gronkowski’s production at the position.
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