Buccaneers star pass-rusher Shaquil Barrett appeared to suffer a significant Achilles injury in the second half of Thursday night’s loss to the Ravens, coach Todd Bowles said in his postgame press conference.
Bowles shared that the early prognosis for Barrett “doesn’t look good” and that the 29-year-old will undergo an MRI Friday to determine the full extent of the injury. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Barrett is feared to have torn his Achilles, an injury that would end his 2022 season after eight games.
Concern for Barrett was immediate when he went down to the ground in the third quarter of Tampa’s 27–22 loss. He was helped off the field, but unable to put weight on his left leg before he was carted into the locker room.
Barrett, a two-time Pro Bowler with the Bucs and 2019 second-team All-Pro, has been a key piece of the Tampa defense for the last four years. In eight starts this season, he’s amassed 31 tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks.
Losing Barrett for any period of time would be a humongous blow to an already reeling and injury-ridden Tampa team. The Buccaneers dropped to 3–5 with their third consecutive loss on Thursday and now may need to move forward without one of their best defenders.
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