Aug. 19 (UPI) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are unsure of when quarterback Tom Brady will return from his excused leave of absence and report back to the team, coach Todd Bowles told reporters.
Bowles spoke about Brady’s absence when he met with the media at a joint practice with the Tennessee Titans on Thursday in Nashville. Bowles told reporters last week that Brady would be away from the team for at least 10 days so he could “deal with some personal things.”
“I’m not concerned about it right now,” Bowles said. “We’re trying to practice against Tennessee and play a game. I said sometime after Tennessee.
“There’s no definitive date for me. We’ll check on it, we’ll keep in touch and find out.”
Brady, 45, decided to walk away from football earlier this off-season, but quickly changed his mind and opted to return for his 23rd NFL season. The seven-time Super Bowl champion completed 67.5% of his throws and led the NFL with 5,316 passing yards and 43 touchdowns in 17 starts last season.
Brady hasn’t missed a start during his two-year tenure with the NFC South franchise after his arrival from New England in 2019.
Blaine Gabbert was listed as the Buccaneers´ second-string quarterback on their first unofficial depth chart. Kyle Trask and Ryan Griffin are the other quarterbacks on the Buccaneers’ roster.
Gabbert completed 5 of 5 passes for 56 yards and a touchdown in the Buccaneers’ first preseason game, a 26-24 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Saturday in Tampa, Fla. Trask completed 25 of 33 passes for 258 yards, one touchdown and an interception in the loss.
The Buccaneers will face the Titans in their second preseason game at 7 p.m. EDT Saturday at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. They will face the Dallas Cowboys in their first regular-season game Sept. 11 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
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