TAMPA, Fla. — Quarterback Tom Brady will not play in the first two preseason games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team confirmed Thursday.
Head coach Todd Bowles said Brady will be back sometime after the Bucs play the Tennessee Titans, which is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 20, according to 10 Tampa Bay sports reporter David Schiele.
His absence is said not to be a health-related issue. Bowles said it's a personal issue and "that's all I can tell you."
"He’s going to deal with some personal things. This is something we talked about before training camp started," Bowles said while speaking with the media after Training Camp on Thursday. "We allotted this time because he wanted to get in and get chemistry with the guys and go through two weeks of training camp. Knowing he wasn’t going to play the first two games, he didn’t want to take away reps from Blaine [Gabbert] and Kyle [Trask], as well as 'Griff' (Ryan Griffin), as far as going into these next two games. It’s something that he needs to handle. We trust him."
The Bucs' first preseason game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 13, against the Miami Dolphins.
Bowles isn't worried about Brady's absence heading into their first preseason game.
"I don’t think it stops us at all," he said. "We have a system in place, we have guys we want to see."
Looking forward to the regular season, the Buccaneers are steadfast that Brady will be ready by Game 1.
"There’s no doubt," Bowles said on if the veteran quarterback will be in the lineup come Sept. 11.