Caleb Benenoch suffers first serious injury in Buccaneers training camp

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been pretty luck with injuries so far this offseason. The only serious ones have been to J.R. Sweezy and Louis Murphy, and both of those are old injuries they’re rehabbing. That changed today, as Caleb Benenoch walked out of the locker room on crutches, with a boot on his foot, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.

Benenoch was the team’s fifth-round pick and he’s slated to be a swing backup as a rookie, if he makes the roster. That’s no sure thing: the Bucs actually have quite a lot of depth along the line, with Kevin Pamphile, Gosder Cherilus and Evan Smith as experienced backups. Benenoch won’t be gifted a roster spot, and he’ll have to win an actual competition to be on the opening day roster.

That’s not going to be easy with his foot in a boot. Usually, crutches and a boot mean a high-ankle sprain, and those injuries are nasty: they tend to be healed enough for players to participate within a few weeks, but they limit movement and power for four to six weeks in total. That’d be enough to end Benenoch’s chances of making the roster, unless the team decides they want to keep him so badly that they’ll carry him anyway, or stash him on injured reserve.