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Tampa Bay Buccaneers LB Lavonte David could miss 4-6 weeks with sprained ankle

By The Sports Xchange
Dallas Cowboys Lance Dunbar heads uo the sidelines against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Lavonte David closes in during the first half at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on December 18, 2016. File photo by Ian Halperin/UPI
Dallas Cowboys Lance Dunbar heads uo the sidelines against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Lavonte David closes in during the first half at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on December 18, 2016. File photo by Ian Halperin/UPI | License Photo

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.

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"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.

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