Jacquies Smith leaves Falcons game with knee injury

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have their first serious injury of the season. Defensive end Jacquies Smith had to leave the field and was immediately ruled out for the game with a knee injury.

A quick ruling like that usually means the player is out for at least a few weeks, and possibly a lot longer. We should have more details on the injury after the game, or on Monday.

With Smith out, the Bucs will give Noah Spence a bigger role as a dedicated pass rusher on passing downs. The rookie looked very good this preseason, though he needs to add some power and more consistent counter moves to his games.

The Bucs also have Howard Jones, who continues to flash every time he gets on the field, and William Gholston, who’s more of a run stuffer, to help fill the gap left by Smith. We’ll have to wait to see how the Bucs adjust to Smith’s absence, and how serious that injury is.