December 31 Updates
The Buccaneers didn't have a spot on the 53-man roster for rookie running back Josh Williams when he returned from his NFL-levied suspension, but they wasted no time making room on the practice squad.
On Wednesday, the Buccaneers re-signed Williams to that 17-man crew, two days after they waived him at the end of his window to be activated from the reserve/suspended list. The Bucs had to either activate or waive Williams on Monday, and the former move would have required cutting another player from the 53-man roster. Instead, the Buccaneers released RB Michael Wiley from the practice squad.
Williams was on Tampa Bay's active roster until his six-game suspension began on November 12, after making the team as an undrafted rookie. He was active for three games this season, recording 11 yards on four carries and 129 yards on five kickoff returns. Wiley signed to the Buccaneers' practice squad on October 14.
CLICK HERE for a list of the Buccaneers' 2025 roster transactions.
December 30 Updates
Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David played the 2025 season on a one-year contract, just as he did in 2024 and 2023. Those year-by-year deals are the product of his need to make a decision after each recent season about whether he would extend his career. As such, as David winds down the 14th year of his illustrious career, he will soon be faced with that decision again.
And if David does eventually choose to retire after the 2025 campaign, Saturday's game against Carolina has the potential to be his final Buccaneer appearance, depending on the result of that contest and the one on Sunday between the Saints and Falcons. On Tuesday, Head Coach Todd Bowles was reminded of that possibility but said that nobody inside team headquarters is addressing that subject right now, with the team focused solely on preparing for a must-win game on Saturday.
Still, Bowles was able to reflect on how much David has meant to the Buccaneers for 14 years, in particular the seven in which Bowles has been a Tampa Bay coach.
"For me personally, he's meant everything because he's been not just a captain, and a quarterback and a coach on the field, and a playmaker. He's been the steady rock since I've been here going on seven years now, and has kind of gotten us out of trouble mentally, physically at times. Off the field, his leadership, the kind of person he is that you really don't get to see, helping the younger guys out, even helping the older guys out and just always showing up.
"I don't think I've ever seen a player do what he's done from a defensive standpoint that I've probably ever coached. The way he goes about his business, the way he carries himself and the way he leads the team…when that day comes it will be a heart-wrenching moment at that time."
Bowles said he believes David is deserving a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
"He's got a great case," said the coach. "As far as I'm concerned, he's a Hall of Famer, if I had a vote, which I don't. He's done enough in his career and he doesn't have to show and prove anything to anybody."
CLICK HERE for a breakdown of the NFC playoff picture heading into Week 18.
December 29 Updates
When rookie running back Josh Williams returned to practice last Tuesday after serving a six-game league suspension, the Buccaneers had six days to decide whether or not to activate him to the 53-man roster, which would have required a corresponding cut to make room. On Monday, the last of those six days, the Bucs chose not to activate Williams and cut another player, waiving him instead.
Williams made Tampa Bay's active roster to start the season after arriving as an undrafted free agent out of LSU in May. During the preseason, he ran 13 times for 29 yards, caught two passes for 16 yards and returned three kickoffs for 108 yards. He was then active for three of the Buccaneers' first nine games before being placed on the reserve/suspended list. He logged four carries for 11 yards on offense and returned five kickoffs for 129 yards.
The Buccaneers currently have three running backs on the active roster in Bucky Irving, Rachaad White and Sean Tucker, plus two more - Owen Wright and Michael Wiley - on the practice squad.
CLICK HERE for some of the more interesting numbers and milestones to come out of the Buccaneers' Week 17 loss at Miami.
December 26 Updates
Tristan Wirfs, who earlier this week was named to his fifth straight Pro Bowl, has been ruled out for the Buccaneers' Week 17 game in Miami on Sunday. A toe injury suffered late in the team's loss at Carolina last weekend kept him off the practice field all week and will force him to miss his fifth game this season.
After practice on Friday, Head Coach Todd Bowles included Wirfs on a list of three players who have already been ruled out for Sunday's game. Outside linebacker Anthony Nelson will miss a game for the first time this season due to the knee injury he sustained last Sunday, and defensive lineman Calijah Kancey, who returned to practice this week, will not be activated from injured reserve yet.
Bowles also confirmed that rookie Benjamin Chukwuma will start in Wirfs' place at left tackle, making his second career start. Chukwuma had a strong starting debut in Week 14 against New Orleans when Wirfs was sidelined by an oblique injury, allowing just two quarterback pressures and no sacks.
"He'll play left tackle this time," said Bowles of Chukwuma. "We liked what we saw last time, so he'll get a chance to play and get better."
CLICK HERE for an in-depth preview of Sunday's Bucs-Dolphins clash.
December 22 Updates
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost a down-to-the-wire game to the Carolina Panthers, 23-20, on Sunday in Charlotte. The Panthers win was sealed when a Baker Mayfield pass was intercepted with the Buccaneers' offense just on the verge of getting into field goal range. Had the Bucs been able to advance the ball a bit farther in the game's final minute, they would have at least had a shot at a game-tying field goal from their red-hot kicker, Chase McLaughlin.
Instead, McLaughlin never got his shot and on an afternoon in which Tampa Bay's special teams were a winning edge for the most part, the last play they had in that phase of the game was a bit of a setback.
After the game, both Baker Mayfield and Head Coach Todd Bowles bemoaned the fact that the Buccaneers had shot themselves in the foot too many times on Sunday, with both men using that specific turn of phrases. For the most part, Mayfield and Bowles were talking about ill-timed penalties and the game's lone turnover, but the final effort by Tampa Bay's kickoff return unit probably falls into that category as well.
After the Panthers took a 23-20 lead on Ryan Fitzgerald's 48-yard field goal, there were two minutes and 20 seconds left on the clock as Fitzgerald lined up for what would be his last kickoff of the day. Buccaneers return man Kameron Johnson had already fielded two of Fitzgerald's hard and low kickoffs on the run and turned in runbacks of 39 and 44 yards, both setting up scoring drives. With his last kick, however, Fitzgerald hit it a little further and the results were very different.
Essentially, the Bucs had two miscues on the play, and that created a long field for Mayfield and the offense for their final comeback attempt. First, return man Sean Tucker, who started the play lined up on the left half of the field just shy of the 10-yard line, had the ball go over his head and land first around the two-yard line before bouncing into the end zone. Unlike a touchback on a ball that lands first in the end zone, a touchback on a ball that lands in the landing zone first and then goes into the end zone only brings the ball out to the 20.
Bowles would have liked to have seen that play handled differently.
"I would like to see him try to catch that," he said.
To make matters worse for the Buccaneers, rookie linebacker John Bullock was flagged for unnecessary roughness on the play, a half-the-dstance-to-the-goal line that pushed the ball all the way back to the 10-yard line. At this point, the offense needed to move the ball about 65 yards down the field to get into field goal range, rather than potentially only needing about 40 yards.
"He's a young player, made a mistake," said Bowles of Bullock. "You've got to be a smarter football player than that. He has been [smarter], he'll learn from it, but that was a bad play to do at that time."
CLICK HERE for a full report on Sunday's loss to the Panthers.
December 19 Updates
The Buccaneers have seven players on their injury report in Week 16, which is not only a smaller list than they have dealt with for most games this season, but also one that does not include a single player ruled out for Sunday's game at Carolina.
"Everybody's in play," said Head Coach Todd Bowles after practice on Friday. "It's been a long time."
Linebacker Lavonte David (knee) was the only player to sit out an entire practice due to injury this week, missing Wednesday's session, but he has gotten in two limited workouts since and Bowles said David was "fine" for Sunday's game. Every other player on the Bucs' injury report practiced in full on Friday, including three players who missed the Week 15 game against Atlanta due to injuries: tight end Cade Otton, safety Tykee Smith and linebacker SirVocea Dennis.
The Buccaneers will have to name between five and seven players inactive on Sunday in Charlotte, depending on how many of their practice squad elevation options they use. Bowles said that elevating outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul for the game was a possible.
"He's also in play for this week," said the coach. "We've got a lot of guys up; it's going to be hard putting a lot of people down. "We have some decisions to make."
Of course, the Bucs are playing without some of their key starters, as are most teams in the league, as they have seven players overall on injured reserve. The most recent addition was cornerback Zyon McCollum, who played in and started all but one of the team's first 14 games before suffering a hip injury against Atlanta. Bowles said the Bucs would handle that absence with a combination of the two rookie cornerbacks they took on Day Two of this year's draft, Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish.
Parrish has played a significant role already this season, serving as the primary slot corner and also filling in on the outside when McCollum or Jamel Dean have been unavailable. Morrison's playing time has been far more limited due largely to injuries, including a hamstring strain that has recently contributed to him sitting out the last four games.
"It will be a combination of the two," said Bowles. "I think he's finally healthy, so you'll probably see the real Benjamin Morrison that we drafted. He's had a couple of weeks to take in some things mentally and get physically right, so he's probably in the best place he's been in this year. So I think we'll see the best [Morrison] we'll see."
CLICK HERE for a detailed preview of Sunday's battle for first place in the NFC South.
December 17 Updates
First-year safety Rashad Wisdom played for the Buccaneers in the first and fourth weeks of the 2025, the first two regular-season appearances of his NFL career. He could see some more action over the next three weeks. That's a possibility after the Bucs activated him off injured reserve on Wednesday. To make room on the 53-man roster, the team waived safety Kaevon Merriweather.
Wisdom suffered a quad injury in that Week Four game against Philadelphia and was placed on injured reserve on September 30. He returned to practice on November 26, which started a 21-day period in which he could be activated at any time. The Bucs waited until the final day of that three-week window to make the move.
Wisdom tallied three special teams tackles in his two games played and figures to see significant action in that phase of the game if he is active. He also recorded nine tackles and a pass defensed on defense during the preseason. A UTSA product, Wisdom signed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2024 and spent his entire rookie season on the practice squad before making the active roster this year.
CLICK HERE for Head Coach Todd Bowles thoughts on the Bucs' week of preparation for Sunday's game against the Panthers.
December 10 Updates
On Monday, Head Coach Todd Bowles said that wide receivers Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan, both currently on injured reserve, were "in play" for a potential return in Week 15. Apparently Evans and McMillan subsequently played well in practice during the short week leading up to Thursday night's game against the Atlanta Falcons.
"They looked good," said Bowles. "They looked fresh. I mean, they ran great routes and looked like they never left. Obviously, they haven't been hit or anything yet, but they looked good in practice."
While the Bucs' final injury report will be released later on Wednesday afternoon, Bowles revealed after practice that there are four players who are likely to miss the Falcons game. Linebacker SirVocea Dennis (hip) and safety Rashad Wisdom (quad) have been ruled out, while tight end Cade Otton (knee) and safety Tykee Smith (neck/shoulder) are doubtful. Notably absent from that list were Evans and McMillan.
When asked specifically about Evans and whether he had shown everything he needed to show in practice to be able to play on Thursday, Bowles answered in the affirmative.
"Yeah, he has," he siad. "He has."
Evans has missed the last six games after fracturing a collarbone in Week Seven in Detroit, and he was also previously sidelined for three games by a hamstring injury. McMillan has been on injured reserve since the start of the season due to a neck injury sustained in the preseason that kept him in a brace for several months. If both can play on Thursday night, it would mark the first time that the team has been able to field it's anticipated foursome of Evans, McMillan, Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka at the same time.
CLICK HERE for a detailed preview of the Bucs' prime-time clash with Atlanta.
December 5 Updates
Wide receivers Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan began their 21-day period to be activated from injured reserve on Wednesday, but they will go a bit deeper into that window before returning to game action. On Friday, Head Coach Todd Bowles revealed that the three players currently working on a return from I.R. – Evans, McMillan and safety Rashad Wisdom – have all been ruled out of Sunday's game against the visiting New Orleans Saints.
Evans has missed the last five games due to a broken collarbone suffered in Detroit in Week Seven, and he also missed three earlier games with a hamstring injury. After making NFL history by exceeding 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first 11 seasons, Evans has been limited to 14 catches for 140 yards so far in 2025. McMillan, who came on strong in the second half of his 2024 rookie season, has not yet played this year due to a neck injury suffered during the preseason. Both were limited this week but made good progress towards an eventual return.
"He'll be out this week," said Bowles of Evans, the Buccaneers' all-time leader in virtually every receiving category. "He did a lot as far as catching the ball and running routes, and he looked good. He's just getting back so we'll give him a chance to get acclimated. He'll be out, J-Mac will be out and Wisdom will be out."
The Buccaneers are hoping to get their receiving corps back to full strength for the final stretch in a very tight NFC South title race. When and if Evans and McMillan return to game action, the Bucs will be able to field a dangerous quartet of those two plus Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka, with Tez Johnson and Sterling Shepard also available to make plays. While Evans and McMillan didn't get the green light for this weekend, they also didn't suffer any setbacks.
"We feel great about it," said Bowles. "They looked good."
Bowles also said that All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs is questionable for Sunday's game due to an oblique injury that kept him out of practice on Wednesday and Thursday.
CLICK HERE for a detailed preview of Sunday's Bucs-Saints clash at Raymond James Stadium.
December 2 Updates
The Buccaneers re-signed second-year running back Owen Wright to their practice squad on Tuesday. Wright had spent four weeks on that unit before being promoted to the active roster on November 14. He was waived last Saturday to make room for the promotion of rookie quarterback Connor Bazelak to the 53-man roster.
Wright first joined the Buccaneers near the start of training camp but was subsequently released in the final roster cuts at the end of August. He returned to the team on October 7, signing to the practice squad, and was then elevated for game day against the San Francisco 49ers in Week Six and the Detroit Lions in Week Seven. He was added to the active roster after rookie running back Josh Williams drew a six-game suspension from the NFL and appeared in two more games.
In all, Wright has logged seven snaps on offense and 17 snaps on special teams this season. He has run three times for six yards and returned three kickoffs for 73 yards. During the preseason, he played in all three games and rushed 26 times for a team-leading 100 yards and a touchdown and added four receptions for 12 yards. He also returned one kickoff for 25 yards.
Wright, who split his college career between Monmouth and William & Mary, originally entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Ravens in 2023. He spent his rookie season on the practice squad and then landed on injured reserve for all of 2024.
CLICK HERE for notes on the Bucs' depth chart for Week 14.
December 1 Updates
The Buccaneers are hoping to have their full receiving corps intact at some point during the team's playoff stretch run, and some serious progress could be made in that regard this week.
On Monday, Head Coach Todd Bowles addressed external reports that both Jalen McMillan and Mike Evans could return to practice this week, noting that he expects both to start ramping up their onfield activities in an effort to return from injured reserve.
"He's been running," said Bowles of McMillan, who suffered a significant neck injury during the preseason that kept him in a brace for several months. "It's just a matter of him putting on a helmet and seeing where he is strength-wise with his neck. He'll start doing more this week and we'll see exactly what, whether it's individual [position drills] or whether it's some more things this week as well. But he will start moving around."
As for Evans, who suffered a fractured clavicle and a concussion in Week Seven, Bowles didn't elaborate but did answer affirmatively about Evans potentially practicing this week.
"That's a possibility as well," said Bowles.
Evans is the franchise's all-time leader in virtually every receiving corps and ranks 10th in NFL history with 106 touchdown receptions. Last season, he led the Bucs with 74 catches for 1,004 yards and 11 touchdowns, tying Jerry Rice's NFL record by surpassing 1,000 yards for a 11th consecutive season. He has played in just four games this season and has 14 catches for 140 yards and one touchdown.
McMillan came on strong in the second half of his rookie season after Chris Godwin was lost to an ankle injury, finishing with 37 catches for 461 yards and eight touchdowns. His seven touchdown catches over the final six weeks of the regular season led all NFL players.
Wide receiver Chris Godwin recently returned from a five-game absence due to a fibula injury and has played only four games this season. He had his most productive outing yet in Sunday's win over Arizona, playing 66.7% of the offensive snaps and catching three passes for 78 yards. First-round draft pick Emeka Egbuka leads the team with 52 catches for 791 yards and six touchdowns, and fellow rookie Tez Johnson has added five touchdown catches. If the Buccaneers can get Evans and McMillan back on the field in the coming weeks, they could feature one of the league's deepest pass-catching corps as they seek to secure a fifth straight division title.
CLICK HERE to watch highlights from the Bucs' 20-17 win over Arizona on Sunday.
