Status of Chris Godwin Jr. and Tristan Wirfs
Receiver Chris Godwin Jr. and left tackle Tristan Wirfs could return in Week Four to take on the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles. Godwin suffered an ankle dislocation in the Week Seven matchup against the Baltimore Ravens last season and underwent surgery. Wirfs had arthroscopic knee surgery in July and both did not start the 2025 season on the reserve/physically unable to perform list, with the hope that the tandem could return prior to Week Five. Both are in the ramp-up process to a return and practiced in a limited fashion last week as the Bucs geared up the play the New York Jets. The decision to determine the availability of both cornerstone players will take place later in the week after evaluations.
"He did a lot more things this week and he practiced a lot better," said Head Coach Todd Bowles on Godwin Jr. "It will just be a matter of him healing up and seeing what he can do in the ballgame if he plays but he had a good day today."
Bucs Front Office Garners Praise from The Athletic Poll
The Athletic asked coaches and executives around the NFL to vote on the best front offices and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers checked in at No.6 on the ranking. In Jeff Howe's feature, he credits General Manager Jason Licht and the "locker room culture" he has fostered in Tampa Bay, along with the club's Super Bowl victory in 2020 and four-straight NFC South titles. Since 2024 when Licht took over as general manager, the Bucs lead the NFL in most snaps played and games started by the team's own first-fifth round draft selections during that span. The Bucs are the only NFC team to reach the playoffs in each of the last five seasons and 42 of 53 players on Tampa Bay's 2025 opening roster were homegrown players, meaning 79.2% of the team's roster was either drafted by the Bucs or originally signed as undrafted free agents by Tampa Bay.
Bruce Arians Talks Lavonte David's Legendary Status
On the Pat McAfee Show, former Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians and Lavonte David joined the show. In discussing his approach of relying on veterans in the locker room during his coaching tenure, Arians praised David's work ethic.
"I did have to make you take a day off," laughed Arians. "He would never take a day off and that is what the great ones do and [he is] one of the greatest to ever play the game."
In his 14th NFL season, David led the Bucs with 11 tackles (one for loss), two quarterback hits and a sack in Week Three. His sack increased his season total to a team-high 1.5 and his career total to 40.5. He became the fourth player in NFL history to record at least 40.0 career sacks, 30 forced fumbles and 10 interceptions, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer Julius Peppers, Mo Lewis and Greg Lloyd. David pairs exceptional instincts with outstanding tackle production and fluid footwork. He has set the standard of excellence on the Bucs' defense for the last decade.
