Buccaneers' Chris Conte: Facing two-month absence

The Buccaneers placed Conte (knee) on injured reserve Tuesday.

The roster move comes one day after Conte exited the first half of Monday's 30-27 loss to the Steelers with the knee injury. Adding insult to the injury, Conte was on the receiving end of a devastating stiff-arm from Pittsburgh tight end Vance McDonald, who sent the safety tumbling to the ground during his 75-yard catch-and-run for the game's first score. The loss of Conte, who had started the Buccaneers' first three games and accrued 14 tackles, leaves the team with only two healthy safeties in Justin Evans and Jordan Whitehead, who should both be slated for heavy snaps in Week 4 against the Bears. Conte, meanwhile, will miss the next two months after landing on IR, though head coach Dirk Koetter said the 29-year-old could be one of the two players the Buccaneers activate in the second half of the season, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.