Bucs' Gerald McCoy out of practice, should play Sunday

TAMPA — DT Gerald McCoy was held out of Wednesday's practice with a groin injury, but coach Lovie Smith said he expects him to play Sunday at Washington.

"He should be good to go," said Smith, who had only one other player held out of practice in RB Doug Martin, who has missed two games with a foot injury. Martin is "making progress but … not quite there," Smith said.

Three who missed Sunday's game were back practicing but were limited: CB Alterraun Verner (hamstring), DE Michael Johnson (hand) and LT Anthony Collins (foot).

NO BELL COW: Asked if he has a "bell cow" running back in his deep backfield, quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo said he does not.

"There's no need for that," Arroyo said. "You've got three good ones, guys in third-and-1 situations that can carry the flag, you've got a guy who can carry it in certain situations. That's a great thing to have. I think a lot of teams wish they had kind of flexibility."

Martin, the starter entering the season, has been limited by injuries, playing five games and averaging 2.9 yards per carry. Bobby Rainey has a team-best 388 yards but had 14 Sunday; rookie Charles Sims rushed for 23 yards in his debut but lost a fumble. Second-year pro Mike James got the nod on three third-and-1 plays Sunday and converted all three.

The Bucs rank 28th in the league with 90 rushing yards per game. Rainey accepts that his role will change from week to week.

"As long as I'm getting my little share and as long as we're winning, that's the only thing that matters really," he said. "I think with the three-headed monster that we have, it's great for the offense."

TRANSACTION: Former USF OL Jeremiah Warren, who spent a week with the Bucs in preseason but was among the final cuts, was added to the practice squad. The team promoted former N.C. State CB C.J. Wilson to the 53-man roster after placing rookie G Kadeem Edwards on injured reserve Tuesday. Wilson gives the team more depth at corner, where he'll compete with Crezdon Butler and rookie Brandon Dixon for playing time behind Verner and Johnthan Banks. Also joining Warren on the practice squad is LB Jeremy Grable, who was in camp before being waived in early August.

Times writer Matt Baker contributed to this report.