Lovie Smith says Doug Martin "leading the troops"; Logan Mankins back at practice

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered a slew of injuries in Sunday's game, but they're slowly getting better. The good news is that Logan Mankins and Doug Martin both participated on a limited basis in today's practice, including some contact work, which means they may be ready for Sunday's game. If they can participate fully in tomorrow's practice they should be good to go.

While Doug Martin was reportedly benched for his pass protection issues, Lovie Smith flat-out refuted that report and said that Martin would be "leading the troops" once he's healthy. Those pass protection issues were real and evident on film, however, and the Bucs may consider dialing back his role on passing downs if those problems continue.

If Martin either can't go or is benched, Bobby Rainey is most likely to take over his role. However, Rainey also struggled a bit in pass protection and Mike James might actually take over for Rainey if he, too, can't handle protection duties.

Defensive end Michael Johnson, cornerback Rashaan Melvin and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins were not able to practice today, nor yesterday. Their participation on Sunday seems unlikely, and Lovie Smith said "it's not looking good", but if they're able to participate them tomorrow they may still be available for Sunday's game.

If Johnson can't go, newly-signed defensive end Larry English is likely to replace him, while a now-healthy William Gholston and Da'Quan Bowers may also see playing time in his stead. Austin Seferian-Jenkins' will presumably be replaced by Luke Stocker, who will mostly work as a blocking tight end next to Brandon Myers.