TAMPA, Fla. -- Those hoping to see Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin return to action following the bye week will have to wait even longer. The two-time Pro Bowler was not practicing with the team Wednesday and suffered what head coach Dirk Koetter referred to as a "setback."
"Doug did unfortunately suffer a little setback a week ago Sunday," Koetter said. "We'll just have to see when he can make it back. There's no timetable on that right now ... but Doug did suffer a little setback."
Martin suffered a hamstring injury in Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals. The original time estimate on the injury was three weeks. The team was hopeful he might be able to return following the bye week.
The Bucs are already without backup running back Charles Sims, who was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. The team also placed three-time Pro Bowl receiver Vincent Jackson on IR on Tuesday with a knee injury. Koetter acknowledged that the team has had a rash of injuries, but it's part of the game.
"Nobody's at fault when somebody gets hurt," Koetter said. "Injuries are the worst part of this game. A lot of teams have injuries. We don't like it, but trust me, no one feels worse about it than the player. The player feels bad and injuries make it tough on our team, but we can't feel sorry for ourselves. We've gotta keep rolling."
Martin rushed for 1,402 rushing yards last season, second-most in the league behind Adrian Peterson. He tacked on 271 receiving yards and accounted for seven touchdowns. It was his second 1,000-yard season.
The Bucs had the fifth-most rushing yards of any NFL team last season with 135.1 rushing yards. In Martin's absence in Weeks 2 through 5 this year, they averaged 88.3 yards per game on the ground, which is 23rd in the league.
Jacquizz Rodgers, who rushed for 101 yards on 30 carries against the Carolina Panthers in his sixth career start is expected to get the nod again this week against the San Francisco 49ers this week. To account for the prolonged absence of Martin, the team signed Antone Smith, who played under Koetter and alongside Rodgers in Atlanta. The team also has Peyton Barber, a rookie undrafted free agent rookie from Auburn who saw his first offensive snaps against Carolina. On a positive note, Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy did return to practice Wednesday but was limited. McCoy suffered a calf injury against the Denver Broncos in Week 4.