Dashon Goldson Injury: Updates on Buccaneers Star's Ankle and Return

Updates from Sunday, Oct. 26

Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com confirms Dashon Goldson will play in Week 8:

Updates from Friday, Oct. 24

Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reported on Dashon Goldson's status for this week:

Updates from Monday, Oct. 20

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times confirms Dashon Goldson returned to practice today:

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[Josh] McCown wasn't the only player back Monday. S Dashon Goldson practiced for the first time since suffering an ankle sprain at Pittsburgh Sept. 28. He missed the last two games.

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Updates from Friday, Oct. 10

Clinton Brown of CSN Mid-Atlantic has an update on Dashon Goldson's status for Sunday's game:

Updates from Friday, Oct. 3

ESPN's Pat Yaskinas has an update on Goldson's status ahead of Sunday's game:

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Bucs have ruled out Mike Evans, Dashon Goldson and Larry English for Sunday.

— Pat Yasinskas (@PatYazESPN) October 3, 2014"

Updates from Tuesday, Sept. 30

Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times shared an update on Dashon Goldson's condition after his injury in Week 4:

Original Text

Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Dashon Goldson is out of Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers after suffering an ankle injury in the first quarter, the team announced, via PewterReport.com:

Goldson was originally ruled questionable by the team, but wasn't able to return:

Goldson, 30, went down on a Steelers drive that produced a short Shaun Suisham field goal. He had one solo tackle before exiting. Veteran Major Wright replaced him and will likely do so for as long as he's out.

Losing Goldson for any extended period will be a frustrating blow for a Tampa Bay team that expected safety to be a major strength. With Goldson and promising third-year player Mark Barron, the Bucs on paper had one of the league's most talented back duos.       

The result has been far different. Goldson has 26 total tackles and has been a solid part of the run game—Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranks him seventh in run-stop percentage among safeties—but has struggled mightily in coverage. The two-time Pro Bowler has allowed six receptions on nine targets where he's the primary pass defender, putting him 42nd in PFF's coverage snaps per receptions metric.

Two years into a five-year, $41.25 million contract, the Bucs likely have been disappointed with his production since he came over from the 49ers. He missed three games last season while dealing with injuries that hurt him even when on the field. With the Bucs already 0-3 on the season, they'll have to hope his injury isn't serious.

Otherwise, Goldson might be headed for two bust years in a row on his huge contract.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter