Bucs LB David could miss 4-6 weeks

Sep 25, 2017 - 9:05 PM Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David could miss multiple weeks with a sprained ankle suffered Sunday in Tampa Bay's loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

Head coach Dirk Koetter said the Buccaneers are hopeful David could return sooner than the typical timeframe of at least one month for a high ankle sprain because X-rays were negative.

"Yeah, I think you're jumping the gun a little bit on Lavonte," Koetter said. "It's not as bad as it looked, No. 1 -- and it looked bad.

"X-rays were negative. We don't know exactly what it is yet, but knock on wood it's not as bad as it looked or as was previously reported."

David, defensive end Noah Spence (shoulder) and linebacker Kwon Alexander (hamstring) could all miss Week 4. Alexander did not play Sunday at Minnesota and was limited to only 40 snaps in Week 3.

Perhaps the greatest injury concern on the team is defensive tackle Gerald McCoy (ankle). McCoy played at Minnesota but left TCF Bank Stadium in a walking boot after aggravating the existing injury. He's unlikely to practice this week.