Tampa Bay Buccaneers Wide Receiver to Miss 2023 Season With Knee Injury
Russell Gage was set to make an impact with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this year.
A key player for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will not play this year. ESPN reported last week that wide receiver Russell Gage will miss the entire 2023 season due to a knee injury suffered during practice. Pewter Report reported that Gage could not put any weight on his left after he went down. On Monday, the Buccaneers placed Gage on injured reserve and said that he suffered a torn patellar tendon in his right knee.
"We hear it's going to be pretty serious," Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles told reporters after the injury last week, per the team's official website. "I'll wait to hear the final results, but he's been battling back for the last…obviously since he's been here, it seems like. We wish him the best. I could tell by the way he was sitting on the truck that it's probably something that happened pretty bad. Our hearts go out to him and we'll see how it goes."
Gage has battled injuries since signing with the Buccaneers in March of 2022. He missed four games last year due to leg ailments and then suffered a concussion during the playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Gage didn't participate in any offseason workouts this year due to a hamstring injury. He missed most of the team's first week of training camp but eventually returned and was working as the team's No. 3 receiver.
"My heart goes out to Russ," fellow wide receiver Chris Godwin said. "That's my dog. He's been battling some things since he's been here, so to see him go down again is very, very tough. We're praying for him. I'm going to check on him when we get here. I don't know how serious it is but hopefully, it's not too bad. Just hate to see that with anybody, especially someone that you're close to."
Gage, 26, was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft after playing college football at LSU. In his four seasons with the team, Gage caught 193 passes for 2,065 yards and nine touchdowns. Gage then signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Buccaneers and finished the 2022 season with 51 receptions, for 426 yards and five touchdowns.