Antonio Brown received good news on Tuesday: His knee injury isn't significant enough to guarantee he'll miss Sunday's NFC Championship Game.
An MRI on Brown's knee did not reveal serious issues, and he's considered day to day in the lead-up to Tampa Bay's appearance in the conference title game, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported.
Brown played 27 offensive snaps in the Buccaneers' Divisional Round win over the Saints this past Sunday, missing most of the second half due to his knee injury. Without him, Tom Brady turned to backups Tyler Johnson and Scott Miller to continue moving the ball in a close game that Tampa Bay ultimately won.
Brown's late arrival saw a steady climb in production in the final weeks of the regular season, and he scored a touchdown in the Bucs' wild-card victory over Washington. Brown has four touchdown grabs on the season, scoring at least one in each of Tampa Bay's games from Week 15 through Wild Card Weekend. His presence could be a boost for the Buccaneers, who are trying to reach Super Bowl LV and become the first team to play in a Super Bowl at its home stadium.
The Bucs placed linebacker Jack Cichy on injured reserve and promoted linebacker Deone Bucannon to the active roster. They also designated running back Kenjon Barner for return from injured reserve and signed guard Nick Leverett to their practice squad.
Here are the other injury and roster news we're monitoring on Tuesday:
- Michael Thomas is expected to go under the knife this offseason. The New Orleans Saints receiver will have at least two surgeries on his ankle, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported. Thomas would be ready for organized team activities in May and June if they aren't postponed or canceled, Garafolo added.
- The Baltimore Ravens waived running back Mark Ingram. The 10th-year veteran made the Pro Bowl with Baltimore in 2019, but was often a healthy scratch down the stretch of this season.
- The NFL has suspended free-agent wide receiver Corey Coleman for the first six games of the 2021 season due to violation of the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday. Coleman was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 15 pick of the 2016 NFL Draft. He played two seasons with the Browns and last played with the Giants in 2018. Most recently, Coleman was released from the Giants' practice squad in November of last year.
