Bucs WR Humphries returns to practice from concussion

TAMPA — Bucs WR Adam Humphries, who missed Sunday's game recovering from a concussion suffered a week earlier at San Diego, was cleared Thursday from the league's concussion protocol and can play in Sunday's game at Dallas.

"I'm ready to go," he said. "I'm just excited to play. Sunday Night Football, that's prime time, and you don't want to miss those. The platform we have, against a great team in Dallas, it's going to be a fun game and a huge opportunity for our team."

Humphries, a second-year player out of Clemson, is third on the team with 42 catches for 467 yards and a touchdown, working as the team's primary slot receiver. He said it was his first concussion, but he appreciated the extra steps the NFL has players go through to ensure their safety before they are cleared.

"I think it's awesome what the NFL is doing," he said. "With all the steps you have to go through, passing the baseline, practicing, (checking) how you feel and finally going to the neurologist and getting cleared. I think it's cool, and in the long run it's going to help out."

MORE INJURIES: LB Lavonte David was added to the injury report as being limited by a hamstring injury. If he were to miss Sunday's game, it would be a significant setback for a defense that has sparked a five-game winning streak. DT Gerald McCoy, who didn't practiced on Wednesday or Thursday the previous two weeks, practiced Thursday and is expected to play Sunday. Backup DT Sealver Siliga was limited by a calf injury.

HEALTH SCARE: S Chris Conte has endured plenty of injuries in his career, but the chest injury he sustained late in the Nov. 27 win against Seattle gave him a new scare, coughing up blood and requiring a night in the hospital.

"Whenever you're coughing up a lot of blood, it's scary," said Conte, who missed two games as he recovered but returned to practice Wednesday and can play Sunday. "Talking to the doctors, it's something they take very seriously."

Conte made a tackle across the middle on a pass to Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham, and while Conte stayed in the game for the next play, "I knew something was wrong as soon as I hit him."

"I don't know exactly what happened," Conte said, "but every time I took a breath, it felt like my lung would fill up with blood and I'd be coughing up blood. That was a new one."