Da’Quan Bowers, defensive end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was placed on the injured reserve list by the team on Thursday. In his place, the Bucs signed Scott Solomon, a defensive lineman. According to ESPN,
"Bowers had been sidelined by a knee injury recently. The team has said the injury is not a recurrence of the knee problems that caused Bowers’ stock to drop prior to the 2011 draft.Thursday’s move marked the end of a disappointing third season for Bowers. The Bucs entered the season hoping that Bowers was ready to be a full-time starter, prompting the team to let Michael Bennett leave as a free agent."
It’s been a disappointing fall from grace for Bowers, who was once seen as a potential number one overall draft pick. For his 2013 campaign, Bowers accounted for just seven combined tackles, and just one sack. Overall, in his three-year career in the NFL, all with Tampa Bay, Bowers has posted 45 combined tackles and just 5.5 sacks.
Do you think Bowers will ever get back to the way he was before his injuries? Will he become one of the league’s biggest defensive threats, or just be another one of those players you keep asking ‘what if” about?