The Tampa Bay Buccaneers started their Super Bowl title defense with a thrilling 31-29 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night but also experienced a couple of losses.
Per Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' website, Tampa Bay cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting and long snapper Zach Triner were both placed on injured reserve. Murphy-Bunting suffered a dislocated elbow in the first quarter of Thursday's outing, while Triner is dealing with a hand injury. According to Jenna Laine of ESPN, Triner tore a tendon in his finger and will require surgery to fix the issue.
Both Murphy-Bunting and Triner must miss a minimum of three games while on IR per rules for the 2021 season. Murphy-Bunting led the Buccaneers with three interceptions during the playoffs en route to the team's championship triumph.
The Athletic's Greg Auman reports Triner will be out for 10-12 weeks. Murphy-Bunting's timeline was unclear as of Monday afternoon.
In corresponding roster moves, Tampa Bay signed long snapper Carson Tinker to the active roster, elevated safety Andrew Adams to the active roster from the practice squad, and added journeyman veteran cornerback Pierre Desir and first-year safety Chris Cooper to the practice squad.
The Buccaneers host the Atlanta Falcons this coming Sunday. Atlanta suffered a blowout 32-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon.
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