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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers haven't had any catastrophic, season-ending injuries yet, but the minor scrapes that still keep players out for multiple keep on coming. This time it's rookie second-round pick Donovan Smith who got hit with injury.
The #Bucs O-line woes may be increasing. LT Donovan Smith watching practice from sidelines today with plastic boot on right foot.
— Roy Cummings (@RCummingsTBO) August 31, 2015
Smith's performance has been a big positive for the Bucs this offseason, as he's been consistently solid in pass protection and occasionally dominant as a run blocker. While he's not perfect, he showed a lot of promise as a left tackle and got better in every game.
Usually, a boot on a foot indicates a high ankle sprain, which tends to take out players for about a month. Some are able to return more quickly, but they won't be fully recovered at that point. Of course, Smith's injury might be more benign -- but that's doubtful.
There's one minor silver lining: Kevin Pamphile looked pretty good in the one preseason game he's played this year, and should be able to handle left tackle duties for a couple of games. Of course, Pamphile himself has missed the past two games with an undisclosed injury so....yeah. He'd better get healthy. And soon.