Rob Gronkowski injury: Buccaneers HC Bruce Arians has telling admission regarding TE's availability

Rob Gronkowski's injury is starting to concern head coach Bruce Arians. The Buccaneers enjoyed a bye week as all hell broke loose in Week 9 of the 2021 NFL season. Gronkowski played the Week 8 game in New Orleans, despite battling a rib injury, but he did spend a lot of time on the sideline suffering from a back injury.

Throughout his NFL career, Gronkowski has had a history of significant back injuries. The big tight end has experienced a lot of hard, physical hits from defenders. Gronkowski is a tough player, and he's carried on plenty of times, despite being physically impaired. The Bucs would love to have Gronkowski back to total health, but they may not want to risk him either. It is a challenging puzzle for Bruce Arians.

Arians worried about Gronkowski.

Coach Arians returned to the podium for his first press conference since the bye week, and he addressed Gronkowski's injury:

“You still have to worry a little bit about Gronk.”

Gronkowski is a player that values his health at a high level. He understands the physical toll that football takes on a player's body. When Gronkowski first retired from the game, he said the following:

"You take hits to the thigh. You take hits to the head. Abusing your body isn't what your brain wants. When your body is abused, it can bring down your mood. You gotta be able to deal with that..."

The Buccaneers will be taking on a struggling Washington Football Team on Sunday, November 14. In theory, Tom Brady's offense shouldn't require Gronkowski to defeat Ron Rivera's ailing defense.

The Buccaneers' injury issues don't stop with Gronkowski. Wideout Antonio Brown is still wearing a boot, despite his best efforts to ride a bike. Coach Arians had this to say on Brown:

“And I don’t know if AB is going to make it back."

The better news for the Bucs is that Scotty Miller and Sean Murphy-Bunting returned to practice on Monday. The Bucs will hope that, if Gronkowski does miss out, Miller may play a role as a receiver.

Rob Gronkowski is an integral part of the Buccaneers' offense. They will feel his absence. However, the Bucs must also balance his long-term health against their desire to win immediately. The Bucs would rather have a fully fit Gronkowski for the stretch run.

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