Running back Giovani Bernard also returns to practice. The Bucs
have 21 days to promote the trio to the active roster. It's
expected that all three will be ready to play in Sunday's
wild-card game against the visiting Philadelphia Eagles.
Fournette, 26, was placed on IR on Dec. 23 with a hamstring
injury he suffered in Week 15. He led Tampa in rushing with 812
yards to go with eight touchdowns. He also caught 69 passes for
454 yards and two TDs.
David, 31, was also put on IR on Dec. 23 with a foot injury he
sustained in the same Dec. 19 loss to New Orleans. He started
all 12 games he played in, racking up 97 tackles, two sacks,
three passes defensed and two forced fumbles. David was All-Pro
in 2013 and earned Pro Bowl honors in 2015.
Bernard, 30, has been on IR since Dec. 14 after sustaining a hip
injury in Week 14 against Buffalo. He has been Tampa's
third-down back, catching 23 passes for 123 yards and three TDs.
He's also rushed eight times for 58 yards.
The team also reportedly restructured the contract of defensive
tackle Ndamukong Suh before the regular-season finale. According
to ESPN, the change allowed him to qualify for extra pay both in
the regular season and possibly $1 million if the team repeats
as Super Bowl champion.
Suh, a 12-year veteran who is in his third season in Tampa Bay,
is on a one-year contract that included incentives based on his
playing time. Among the terms of the contract, he needed to play
in 65 percent of the Buccaneers' defensive snaps to make an
extra $200,000 and unlock the Super Bowl incentive. He finished
at 64.18 percent
Suh had six sacks this season among his seven tackles for losses
in appearing in all 17 of Tampa Bay's games. He has 70 1/2
sacks, including 10 in his rookie season with the Detroit Lions.
After five seasons with Detroit, he played three seasons for the
Miami Dolphins and one for the Los Angeles Rams.
--Field Level Media
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