When Da’Quan Bowers was drafted in 2011, there was no questions about his talent, but many wondered if his body could sustain the physicality of the NFL. Three years later and those questions are still circling around Bowers. Currently, Bowers isn’t practicing with the team due to a groin injury, and many at Bucs camp, including Lovie Smith, are voicing their concerns about how his absence will affect his chances of being on the team’s final roster.
“I think every day you don’t practice you’re hurting your chances [of making the team],” Smith said, via the Tampa Times. “We’ve seen enough to like Da’Quan a lot. But all the reps that he’s not getting, someone else is getting them. The best way to beat your competition sometimes is just to stay on the field. You can’t get Wally Pipped. Da’Quan is trying to get back. Again, I think he has a future in the league, whether it be as a defensive end outside or more of a third down rush guy inside.”
Bowers has missed 9 games in his 3 NFL seasons, and with just 5.5 sacks under his belt, many feel that he hasn’t lived up to the hype surrounding him when he entered the draft. As Lovie Smith expressed, if Bowers isn’t on the field proving his worth, then there’s no justification to keep him on the Bucs final roster.
[h/t NBC Sports]