Nelson is questionable to return to Sunday's divisional-round playoff game against the Lions due to an elbow injury, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
The backup linebacker did not record a stat before exiting. Nelson recorded 40 tackles, including 3.0 sacks, and a pass defensed in 16 regular-season games, along with one tackle in Tampa Bay's wild-card playoff win over Philadelphia.
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Buccaneers' Anthony Nelson: Deemed doubtful
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Nelson has been downgraded to doubtful for Sunday's game against the Lions due to a concussion, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.
Nelson was apparently in concussion protocol all week, although he was a full participant at practice. His doubtful designation indicates he is not trending toward clearing the league's protocols prior to kickoff Sunday. Still, final confirmation on his status is unlikely to come until a few hours before game time. With Shaquil Barrett (illness) considered questionable, the Bucs could be spread a little thin on the edge. Thus, YaYa Diaby, Markees Watts and Cam Gill have the potential to see increased workloads.
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Buccaneers' Anthony Nelson: Ready to play at Minnesota
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Nelson (hamstring) was a full participant at practice Friday ahead of Sunday's game at the Vikings, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.
After limited sessions Wednesday and Thursday, Nelson got in a full practice Friday ahead of Tampa Bay's regular-season opener. He'll try to improve on the career-high 5.5 sacks he recorded last season.
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Buccaneers' Anthony Nelson: Stays with Tampa
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Nelson re-signed with the Buccaneers on Thursday.
Nelson was a steady contributor on the Bucs' defense in 2022, setting career highs across the board in his fourth NFL season. He should remain a regular part of the team's linebacker corps next season.
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Buccaneers' Anthony Nelson: Career-best season in '22
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Nelson totaled 46 tackles (26 solo), including 5.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery across 17 games during the 2022 regular season.
Nelson added three solo stops across 60 snaps in the wild-card loss to the Cowboys. The fourth-year linebacker turned in career-best tackle, sack and forced fumble totals while playing a career-high 604 snaps on defense. While Nelson is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent at the start of the new league year in mid-March, the 2019 fourth-round pick could certainly prove to be a more cost-effective alternative for the Buccaneers than fellow free agent Lavonte David.
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Buccaneers' Anthony Nelson: Another sack in Week 17
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Nelson registered four tackles (three solo), including a sack, during the Buccaneers' 30-24 win over the Panthers in Week 17.
Nelson pushed his sack total to 2.5 over the last three games with his takedown of Sam Darnold in the win. The 25-year-old has put some solid play on tape down the stretch while starting in place of Shaquil Barrett (IR-Achilles), and he'll head into the regular-season finale versus the Falcons averaging 4.3 tackles per contest since Week 12.
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Buccaneers' Anthony Nelson: Expected to be starter sans Barrett
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Nelson is expected to start at outside linebacker in the absence of Shaquil Barrett (Achilles), Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Nelson has recorded two sacks across eight appearances this season, but he's in line for increased opportunities with Barrett sidelined for the remainder of the season. The 2019 fourth-round pick played a season-high 46 percent of Tampa Bay's defensive snaps during Thursday's loss to Baltimore, but he figures to finish around the 60-70 percent mark moving forward.
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Buccaneers' Anthony Nelson: Remains out Week 14
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Nelson (hamstring) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Colts, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Nelson will be sidelined for his fifth straight game due to the hamstring injury. Carl Nassib, Shaquil Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul (knee) should continue handling the bulk of the reps at outside linebacker.
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Buccaneers' Anthony Nelson: Out again Sunday
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Nelson (hamstring) was ruled out for Sunday's game against the Saints, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Nelson hasn't practiced since suffering the hamstring injury Week 9 at Seattle and will miss his second straight game. Fellow OLB Carl Nassib (groin) was also ruled out, leaving Sam Acho and Kahzin Daniels to serve as reserve options behind Shaquil Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul.
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Buccaneers' Anthony Nelson: Unlikely to play Week 10
Rotowire
Nelson (hamstring), who missed practice Wednesday, is unlikely to play in Sunday's game against the Cardinals as per head coach Bruce Arians, Carmen Vitali of the team's official site reports.
Nelson exited Sunday's overtime loss to the Seahawks after just six snaps from scrimmage and nine on special teams due to his hamstring injury. Arians mentioned Wednesday that Nelson would "probably" not be ready to face Arizona in Week 10, which could leave the just-signed Kahzin Daniels as the primary backup to Shaq Barrett at right outside linebacker versus the Cardinals.
