Detroit Lions defensive backs Kerby Joseph, Terrion Arnold and Avonte Maddox have been ruled out against Tampa Bay on Monday night due to injuries, a setback for a secondary without suspended safety Brian Branch.

Joseph (knee) and Maddox (hamstring) were unable to practice this week while Arnold was cleared on a limited basis on Friday.

The NFL suspended Branch for one game after he threw a punch and started a postgame melee following last week’s loss at Kansas City.

The Buccaneers may get a boost with what has been a short-handed group of receivers by the potential return of six-time Pro Bowl receiver Mike Evans and rookie Emeka Egbuka, who are listed as questionable with hamstring injuries. Evans has missed three games and Egbuka left last week’s win against San Francisco.

Tampa Bay ruled out receiver Chris Godwin (leg), running back Bucky Irving (foot, shoulder) and offensive guard Luke Haggard (shoulder).

Detroit offensive tackle Taylor Decker (shoulder) and defensive tackle Alim McNeill (knee) were listed as questionable.

Commanders’ Samuel will miss game against Cowboys

Washington’s Deebo Samuel was ruled out for today because of an injured heel, leaving Jayden Daniels and the Commanders without any of their three top wide receivers for the team’s game against the NFC rival Dallas Cowboys.

Samuel had missed practice time in recent weeks because of his heel but always had managed to be uniform on game day until now. He leads Washington with 34 catches — no one else has more than 20 — and 315 yards receiving — no one else even has 200 — and is tied for the team lead with three receiving touchdowns.

Terry McLaurin already had been ruled out for today because of a lingering quadriceps muscle injury, the fourth consecutive game he’ll miss. And another starting wideout, Noah Brown, went on injured reserve this week after missing the past four games with knee and groin issues.

McLaurin has been sidelined since getting hurt on a 56-yard catch in a 42-24 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 21. Until this prolonged absence, McLaurin had appeared in 72 consecutive regular-season games for the Commanders; he hadn’t missed one since late in the 2020 season.

The Commanders did get some good news Saturday, activating starting right guard Sam Cosmi off the Physically Unable to Perform List. He has yet to play this season after tearing a knee ligament during the playoffs.

49ers activate Kittle from Injured reserve

The San Francisco 49ers activated star tight end George Kittle from injured reserve on Saturday after he had missed the past five games with a hamstring injury.

Kittle went down in the first half of the season opener for San Francisco but returned to practice this week and is ready to return to game action tonight against the Atlanta Falcons.

The 49ers also activated defensive lineman Kevin Givens from injured reserve. Givens sustained a pectoral injury in training camp and is set to make his season debut on Sunday.

The Niners are hoping the return of Kittle will provide a needed boost to the offense. Kittle is perhaps the top two-way tight end in the NFL as both a dominant run blocker and a threat in the passing game.

San Francisco has struggled to run the ball in Kittle’s absence and ranks last in the NFL in yards per carry (3.1) and third worst in yards rushing per game (82.2).

Kittle had four catches for 25 yards and a TD in the opener before the injury. He has had four seasons with at least 1,000 yards receiving and led San Francisco with 78 catches for 1,106 yards and eight TDs last season.