Report: Earnest Graham to miss rest of season with torn Achilles

According to Pro Football Talk, Earnest Graham will miss the rest of the season with a torn Achilles tendon. That's not unexpected and it was reported as early as yesterday, but it is a blow to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offense. Yesterday's loss was cased in large part by a poor effort on offense, specifically a lack of a running game. In fact, the Bucs had just 30 yards on the ground the entire day. They ran for 2.7 yards per carry. 

The difference between Kregg Lumpkin and Earnest Graham is striking, too. Earnest Graham got two carries before his injury, running for thirteen yards. Kregg Lumpkin got 15 yards on 8 plays after that, for an average of 1.5 yards per carry. That's abysmal, and it's not going to change: Lumpkin has never looked good running the ball. 

The good news is that Legarrette Blount will be back after the bye week. There was a tiny chance he'd be ready for yesterday's game, but ultimately missed it with an MCL sprain. But once the Bucs come back from their bye week Legarrette Blount will have had four weeks to recover from his injury, which should be enough for him to return to the starting lineup. 

That does mean the Bucs lack serious depth at running back. Kregg Lumpkin clearly is not a valid backup option at running back, although he can function as a third-down back. The Bucs do  have two options on the practice squad: Mossis Madu, who spent the preseason with the Bucs, and Chad Spann who they signed this week. Lee has all the info on Spann you need right here. The Bucs could theoretically sign a veteran, but they haven't signed a veteran to fill in for an injured player in two years now - it seems unlikely they're going to start now. 

Aside from Graham, S Tanard Jackson and G Jeremy Zuttah also were forced to miss part of the game with an injury and did not return. There has been no word as of yet on their injuries. FB Erik Lorig also was injured during the game but did return to finish it.