A Canadian NFL player is about to see the field for the first time in almost two months.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ tight end Antony Auclair was injured in Week 1 of the NFL season in a 34-23 loss to the New Orleans Saints. The four-year veteran is slated to return to action on Monday Night Football against the New York Giants.
The native of Notre-Dame-des-Pins, Que. played eleven snaps in the season-opener prior to suffering a calf injury. He is part of an excellent group of Tampa Bay tight ends that includes Rob Gronkowski, O.J. Howard, and Cameron Brate.
Auclair is primarily a blocking tight end, though he has also made ten career receptions for 84 yards. He took 338 offensive snaps over 16 games in 2018, which remains a career-high.
The Laval product was the fourth tight end on the depth chart when he last took the field in Week 1. With former first-round draft pick O.J. Howard now out with a torn Achilles, it’s likely that Auclair will play a larger role in Tampa Bay’s offensive attack.
The 27-year-old went unselected in the 2017 NFL draft but signed with the Buccaneers as a priority free agent. He has remained with the team ever since and, with Tampa Bay leading the NFC South at 5-2, appears poised to reach the postseason for the first time in his career.
