Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker YaYa Diaby faced a concerning injury during practice on Thursday. He injured his left ankle while wrapping up the team’s two-minute drill and had to be carted off the field, causing several teammates to kneel in concern.
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General manager Jason Licht shared some optimism with reporters, stating, “Right now, we’re hopeful that we avoided something very serious. We have more tests this afternoon, but it’s looking a bit hopeful.”
Fortunately, Diaby later informed Jordan Schultz from Bleacher Report that he expects to recover from a high ankle sprain with hopes of being ready for Week 1. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, typical recovery for this injury is about four to six weeks.
“I’ll be fine,” Diaby assured Schultz, declaring, “I’m a warrior.”
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Diaby also took to X (formerly Twitter) to express gratitude for the support he has received, stating, “Thank you to everyone for your support and prayers! I’ll be back stronger than ever.”
The initial scare surrounding his injury turned into a relief for the Bucs, as it doesn’t seem to be season-ending. Diaby aims to return for Tampa Bay’s opener on September 8 against the Washington Commanders.
At just 25, Diaby was a third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and made a significant impact in his rookie season. He played in all 17 games, taking the field as a starter in seven of them and tallying 38 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and an impressive 7.5 sacks, along with forcing one fumble and recovering two others.
His strong performance earned him votes for Defensive Player of the Year, finishing fifth in the voting alongside notable names like Brian Branch and Joey Porter Jr. The award went to Will Anderson Jr. of the Houston Texans.
Starting camp as the primary outside linebacker for the Buccaneers, Diaby led the team in sacks last season and ranked second in tackles for loss behind Lavonte David.
While it’s likely he’ll miss the entire preseason, he has just over five weeks to recover and maintain his streak of playing every game in his NFL career so far.