Rap: Diaby dealing with Grade 2 MCL sprain

Diaby will undergo an MRI to confirm the severity of the injury, but according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the team his hopeful that this injury will “not cause him to miss extended time.” Diaby has 16 tackles, three sacks, and one interception this season, with all three of his sacks coming in the Bucs’ Week 7 win over the Panthers. Even if he doesn’t miss too much time, it’s possible he’ll be sidelined for at least Week 9’s game against the Bears on Sunday Night Football.

Diaby went down in the first half and was ruled out before halftime. He was off to a slow start to the season before erupting for three sacks versus the Panthers last week. Diaby has started all eight Bucs games this year and has logged a snap share just under 60 percent.

It’s good news in that it’s not a season-ending injury, but high-ankle issues are quite frequently season-altering issues. One silver lining here is that there are no current games to rush back for. Diaby might not be 100 percent by Week 1, but he will be much closer to it than most high-ankle sprain sufferers are when they return. Diaby notched 7.5 sacks as a third-round rookie last season, and profiles as a major part of the Bucs’ 2024 pass rush.

We don’t know the severity of Diaby’s injury at this time, but his absence for any length of time would be a tough blow to the Buccaneers defense. As a rookie, Diaby totaled an impressive 12 TFLs and 7.5 sacks in 17 games on 515 snaps. The former third-rounder set the bar high heading into his second season and is expected to offer more contributions to a defense that finished as the fifth-best defense in points per game while ranking 10th in sacks. We’ll provide more on his injury when we have an update.

Barrett played in the Wild Card round against the Eagles, but is not dealing with an ankle issue that has him listed as a DNP for Wednesday’s walkthrough practice. Rookie Yaya Diaby (shoulder) joined Barrett as the other defender with a DNP listing. Both linebackers will have a chance to return to practice later in the week to prepare for the Divisional Round game against the Lions.

A former walk-on at Georgia Military College, Diaby (6’3/263) scrapped his way up through the collegiate ranks to have an impact in 2022 when he recorded 14.0 TFL (7th in ACC) and 9.0 sacks, which was the second-highest total in the ACC. His 34” arms and huge 10 ⅜” hands help him to leverage his natural strength when setting the edge and dislodge opposing linemen with his punch on the rush. Though Diaby only had one year of high-end production in college, his athletic traits are tantalizing. He ran a 4.51 40 (99th percentile) and a 1.51 10-yard split (99th percentile) to go with an outstanding 37” vertical (94th percentile) and 10’00” broad jump for a spectacular 9.86 RAS. He needs to avoid losing contain on run plays, refine his counters and expand his pass rush technique to take advantage of his intriguing potential. With some growth, Diaby could develop into a consistent 4-3 rotational defensive end who can bring pressure on demand.