Whitehead (pectoral) was designated to return from injured reserve Tuesday, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

Whitehead landed on IR in late November due to a ruptured pec, and he's since missed the required four games. It's not yet clear if he'll be activated ahead of Sunday's matchup versus Carolina, though that could certainly happen if the veteran safety is able to ramp up enough in practice this week. Prior to getting hurt, Whitehead started Tampa Bay's first 11 games of the campaign and tallied 76 tackles (47 solo) along with three defensed passes.