Whitehead (quadriceps) has been cleared to play against the 49ers on Sunday, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Despite opening the week with back-to-back DNPs, Whitehead gave himself a chance to play Sunday after logging a limited practice session Friday. Despite the quadriceps injury, Whitehead has played through lower-body injuries since early October, so he'll likely see a heavy snap count Sunday. Through the first nine games of the regular season, Whitehead has logged 59 tackles (36 solo) and three pass defenses.