Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 5 Players Who Need to Get Healthy During Bye Week

After an offseason full of high expectations, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have struggled to deliver a winning product on the field through the first six weeks of the 2014 regular season.

Every NFL team is forced to deal with injuries on a yearly basis, but the Bucs' lack of quality depth behind has been painfully obvious thanks to multiple key players missing time on both sides of the ball.

Thankfully for Bucs fans, their team is heading into a much-needed bye week with an opportunity for those ailing players to get some recovery time.  If Tampa Bay wants to dig itself out of the cellar that is its 1-5 record, this week will be vital in terms of getting some of its top players back to full strength.

Here are five players who need to get back to 100 percent—or as close as possible—before the Bucs host the Minnesota Vikings in Week 8.

*All stats courtesy of NFL.com.

S Dashon Goldson

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Tampa Bay's secondary has struggled all season, ranking 31st in the league in passing defense through the first six weeks.

Not helping matters in the defensive backfield is the absence of Dashon Goldson, who has missed the past two games with an ankle injury.

Major Wright has started both games in Goldson's stead, but he's a stretch as a starting-caliber player in the NFL.  Goldson hasn't exactly lit the world on fire since signing a five-year deal worth over $40 million as a free agent prior to the 2013 season, but Tampa Bay's pass defense is still much better with him roaming the deep halves with Mark Barron.

Hopefully the bye week—combined with missing the last two games—will give Goldson the time he needs to fully recover and return to the starting lineup.

WR Vincent Jackson

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Even though he leads the team in both receptions and receiving yards, Vincent Jackson has been fighting through multiple injuries throughout the 2014 season.

A veteran leader and offensive captain, Jackson showed his toughness by playing through a fractured wrist then missed practice time last week with a rib injury.

Despite these ailments, Jackson has hauled in 25 passes for 344 yards and a pair of touchdowns, though his drops were far too plentiful early in the season for receiver making over $10 million per year.  Jackson's numbers saw a significant jump when Mike Glennon took over for the injured Josh McCown at quarterback, showing some of the chemistry the pair developed over Glennon's 13 starts in 2013.

Jackson has been effective up to this point in spite of his injuries, so his production should only increase after a restful off week.

DT Gerald McCoy

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As dominant as McCoy has been so far this season, it's hard to believe he's only missed one game with a broken hand, playing the three games since despite the injury.

Despite having only two sacks on the year, McCoy's pass-rushing rating has dwarfed that of every other defensive tackle in the league, according to Pro Football Focus (h/t Sportsfeedia.com's Twitter). 

The unquestioned leader of the Tampa Bay defense has been disruptive for most of the season, though his injury might have contributed to a disappointing performance last week. McCoy was seen leaving the field favoring his injured hand in Sunday's blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

McCoy is so talented that he's still been able dominate for the most part with just one hand, but the bye week will be a welcome chance for him to give it some rest from the constant beating in the trenches.

CB Johnthan Banks

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Johnthan Banks hasn't spent much time on the sidelines so far this year, but he's been sorely missed when he's not in the lineup. 

Tampa Bay's lack of depth at the corner position was painfully evident without Banks on the field this week, as the second-year pro missed Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens with a neck injury.  Crezdon Butler made his first NFL start in Banks' absence, and Joe Flacco immediately took advantage, going after Butler for his first two of five first-half touchdown passes.

Banks proved two weeks ago that he can make big plays in the Tampa 2, making an impressive interception of Drew Brees just before halftime to keep the Bucs in the game.

Even with Banks in the lineup, Tampa Bay has struggled to stop the pass all season.  If it wants any chance of improving its pass defense coming out of the bye week, having a healthy Banks is a must.

QB Josh McCown

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Now, don't freak out, Bucs fans.

I'm not saying in the slightest that Josh McCown should reclaim his starting role once he's fully recovered from a sprained thumb in his throwing hand.  The journeyman signal-caller struggled mightily through 10 quarters of work before leaving halfway through a blowout to the Atlanta Falcons, and Mike Glennon has been incredibly effective in his absence.

But if Glennon was to go down and McCown was still unavailable, would Mike Kafka be a welcome sight under center?

McCown is in the perfect role as a veteran presence in Glennon's ear, helping the younger quarterback develop.  But the sooner he's fully healthy and available in case of an emergency, the better.  McCown is still taking it "day by day," per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times, but the bye week should help get him close to returning.