Advertisement

With Rodgers hurt, Bucs sign Mike James; CB Banks waived

 
The Bucs re-signed running back Mike James on Monday.
The Bucs re-signed running back Mike James on Monday.
Published Nov. 1, 2016

TAMPA — The Bucs are now on their seventh running back of 2016.

With fill-in starter Jacquizz Rodgers injuring his foot late in Sunday's loss to the Raiders, the Bucs on Monday agreed to terms with Mike James, who had made the team's initial cuts but was waived-injured in Week 1.

Also, CB Johnthan Banks, a former starter and second-round pick in 2013, was waived.

Rodgers wore a boot in the locker room Monday, so he's unlikely to play in Thursday night's home game against the Falcons. He scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter Sunday but was injured on his next carry.

James only recently became eligible to re-sign with the Bucs after his injury settlement. He had been on the Lions' practice squad.

The Bucs also have veteran RB Antone Smith, who had four carries for 16 yards on Sunday, and rookie Peyton Barber, who played three snaps and had one carry for 1 yard. Barber played well the previous week at San Francisco, rushing for 84 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown.

Pro Bowl running back Doug Martin has been out since Week 2 (hamstring), and backup Charles Sims has been out since Week 4 (knee).

MORE INJURIES: Two players injured hurt Sunday were newly on Monday's injury report — DE Will Gholston (biceps) played much of the game with limited use of his right arm, and WR Russell Shepard (hip) was leveled on a hit that resulted in a 15-yard penalty on the Raiders.

BANKS GONE: Banks, a two-year starter for the Bucs, had lost even the special-teams role he'd been relegated to this season. Banks started 30 of 32 games in 2013-14, but had lost his starting job and didn't play on defense all season, limited to coverage units on special teams. In the past two games, he'd been a healthy scratch and was inactive. "Tampa it's been real," Banks wrote on his Instagram page on Monday afternoon. Banks had seven interceptions in his first two NFL seasons, but was benched last season, then returned as a starter for the final two games. When the Bucs drafted Vernon Hargreaves in the first round and signed Pro Bowl veteran Brent Grimes, Banks was left as a backup. There's a good chance he'll be claimed by another team.