Bears
Yaya Diaby will miss the Buccaneers' game at the Chicago Bears on Sunday, November 8. An MRI on Monday, November 2 showed a Grade 2 MCL sprain, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport (ESPN), and head coach Todd Bowles confirmed the diagnosis (ESPN, CBS Sports).
Key facts
- An MRI on Monday, November 2 showed a Grade 2 MCL sprain for Yaya Diaby (Ian Rapoport, NFL Network, via ESPN, November 2).
- Diaby was hurt in the first quarter of the 16-0 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, November 1 (ESPN, November 2).
- Todd Bowles said Diaby will not play against the Bears on Sunday, November 8 (Buccaneers.com, via CBS Sports, November 2).
- Bowles hopes the Week 10 bye helps Diaby avoid the injured reserve list; he has not been placed there (CBS Sports, November 2).
- Diaby has 3 sacks, 6 quarterback hits and 6 tackles for loss in 8 games this season, and 22 career sacks since the 2023 third round (ESPN, November 2).
- The Buccaneers, 3-5, play the 6-2 Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday, November 8, at 8:20 PM ET, 02:20 CET on Monday, on NBC (Buccaneers.com).
The edge rusher got hurt in the first quarter of the 16-0 win over the Atlanta Falcons on November 1. Our Week 8 recap has the full story of that game.
What we know about the injury
Bowles told reporters he does not know how long Diaby will be out. A source told Rapoport that Diaby should be back "within a matter of weeks" (ESPN). Bowles said he hopes the Week 10 bye gives Diaby enough time to avoid the injured reserve list (CBS Sports, citing Buccaneers.com). Diaby has not been placed there.
For readers outside the US: injured reserve (IR) is a list that forces a player to miss a set number of games, which is why a team tries to avoid it when a player is close to returning. The reports give no further detail on the injury than the diagnosis.
Diaby's season so far
Stat | 2026 total |
|---|---|
Games | 8 |
Sacks | 3 |
Quarterback hits | 6 |
Tackles for loss | 6 |
Interceptions | 1 |
Source: ESPN, November 2. Diaby was a third-round pick in 2023 and has 22 career sacks.
He was on the Week 8 injury report earlier in the week with an illness, was limited on Wednesday and full on Thursday and Friday, and carried no game designation into the Falcons game. Our Week 8 injury report has the table.
Chicago, then the bye
The Buccaneers are 3-5 and half a game behind the Carolina Panthers (3-4) in the NFC South (ESPN). The Bears are 6-2. Kickoff at Soldier Field is Sunday, November 8, at 8:20 PM ET, which is 02:20 CET on Monday, November 9, and the game is on NBC (Buccaneers.com). The schedule has the rest of the season, and the depth chart shows who is left on the edge.
The timing is the one piece of good news in this. Tampa Bay needs to find a pass rush in Chicago without one of its main rushers, but the Week 10 bye follows directly after that game. If Bowles gets what he hopes for, Diaby misses one game, uses the bye to heal and comes back without a trip to injured reserve. That is Bowles' hope, not a timeline: he has not given one.
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