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Buccaneers' Yaya Diaby Has Grade 2 MCL Sprain, Out Weeks

Tampa Bay edge rusher Yaya Diaby has a Grade 2 MCL sprain and is expected to miss a couple of weeks, Ian Rapoport reported Monday, and head coach Todd Bowles said the hope is Diaby avoids injured reserve.

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Buccaneers' Yaya Diaby Has Grade 2 MCL Sprain, Out Weeks

Key points

  • Tampa Bay got the better version of bad news on Monday.
  • "He has an MCL sprain.
  • Diaby left Sunday's 16-0 win over the Atlanta Falcons in the first quarter and did not return.

Tampa Bay got the better version of bad news on Monday. Edge rusher Yaya Diaby has a Grade 2 MCL sprain, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported, and he is expected to miss some time but be back within a matter of weeks rather than months. Head coach Todd Bowles confirmed the diagnosis to reporters the same day.

"He has an MCL sprain. Not sure how much he'll miss," Bowles said, in comments reported by Sports Illustrated. "We'll see how the week progresses and we'll go from there." Bowles said the hope is that Diaby will not have to go on injured reserve, which would cost him at least four games.

How the injury happened

Diaby left Sunday's 16-0 win over the Atlanta Falcons in the first quarter and did not return. Pewter Report reported he hurt his right knee with 6:32 left in the first quarter when he was chop blocked by Falcons tight end Nick Muse. NBC Sports reported he was limited to seven snaps in the game. He had an MRI on Monday morning that confirmed the sprain.

The timing could have been worse. Tampa Bay plays at the Chicago Bears on Sunday, November 8, and then has a bye week, which gives Diaby a built in recovery window. Reports on Monday put the expected absence at about a couple of weeks. If the Buccaneers did place him on injured reserve this week, the earliest he could return would be December 13 at Baltimore, but the team is working to avoid that outcome.

What Tampa Bay loses, and who steps in

Diaby, 27, has played in all eight games this season, with 16 total tackles, six tackles for loss, three sacks, two passes defended and an interception, according to figures carried by NFL Trade Rumors. He is a starter on a defense that has carried the Buccaneers through a 3-5 start, and Sunday's shutout of Atlanta was its best performance of the year.

While he is out, Bowles can turn to David Walker, Al-Quadin Muhammad and Anthony Nelson on Diaby's side, Sports Illustrated reported. None of them brings Diaby's snap count, so Tampa Bay is likely to rotate the spot rather than hand it to one replacement. The first test comes Sunday night in Chicago, against a Bears team that will know exactly which side of the formation to probe.

Timeline

  1. Nov 1, 2026Yaya Diaby leaves Tampa Bay's 16-0 win over Atlanta in the first quarter with a right knee injury and does not return, limited to seven snaps.
  2. Nov 2, 2026Ian Rapoport reports a Grade 2 MCL sprain that should keep Diaby out a matter of weeks, and Todd Bowles confirms the sprain and says the hope is Diaby is not placed on injured reserve.

Sources