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Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Giovani Bernard exited the team’s preseason finale against the Houston Texans on Saturday after apparently twisting his ankle. The veteran didn’t receive any carries on the night and caught just one of his three targets for two yards.
Gio Bernard can't make the catch on third down, and comes up holding his ankle. He's able to walk off slowly. A hold on Stinnie declined on the play.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 29, 2021
Bernard seemed to badly turn his ankle
— JoeBucsFan (@JoeBucsFan) August 29, 2021
If a serious ankle injury, it would be a blow to the Buccaneers plans to provide depth at the running back position. The defending Super Bowl champions signed Bernard in the offseason for the express purpose of providing a pass-catching threat out of the backfield for quarterback Tom Brady, similar to the role James White had in New England.
Bernard arrived to Tampa after spending the entirety of his eight-year career with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he accumulated 3,697 career rushing yards and 22 touchdowns on the ground to accompany his 2,867 receiving yards and 11 receiving touchdowns through the air. Ronald Jones and Leonard Fournette remain as the top two backs on the depth chart for the Bucs.