Buccaneers 13 - Vikings 17 | Third Quarter Updates
Chase McLaughlin kicked a 38-yard field goal. Chris Godwin Jr.'s touchdown was nullified by a holding penalty.
Buccaneers 10 - Vikings 17 | Second Quarter Updates
Chase McLaughlin kicked a 28-yard field goal and Kyler Murray heaved a deep ball to Jordan Addison for a 41-yard touchdown, giving the Vikings a 17-10 advantage into the half.
Buccaneers 7 - Vikings 10 | First Quarter Updates
The Vikings took an early 10-0 lead, courtesy of a Will Reichard 54-yard field goal and a 86-yard punt return for a touchdown by Myles Price. The Bucs followed suit with a five-play, 80-yard drive that ended in a 40-yard touchdown to Ted Hurst III, trimming the deficit, 10-7.
September 25 Updates
The Buccaneers' first two picks in this year's draft, Miami outside linebacker Rueben Bain Jr. and Missouri linebacker Josiah Trotter, each earned starting jobs to open the season and started the first two games against Cincinnati and Cleveland. However, neither will be in the lineup for Game Three against the Vikings on Sunday.
After practice on Friday, Head Coach Todd Bowles confirmed that both rookies have been ruled out for this weekend's game due to injuries sustained last Sunday against the Browns. Bain is suffering from a groin injury while Trotter is dealing with a shoulder ailment.
Bain did not participate in any of the team's practices this week and has also been dealing with a separate shoulder issue. Trotter did take part in some individual-position drills on Friday but did not get clearance to return this week.
"It's a low-grade sprain," said Bowles of Trotter's injury. "It's probably a toleration thing. We'll see how he feels."
Bowles said that both SirVocea Dennis and Christian Rozeboom would see action at linebacker next to Alex Anzalone in Trotter's absence. Dennis logged nine snaps after Trotter's injury last weekend. Rozeboom, who signed with the Buccaneers as a free agent this offseason, has not yet taken any defensive snaps.
The Buccaneers will have four edge rushers available in Bain's absence. While any one of Anthony Nelson, Al-Quadin Muhammad and David Walker could start the game opposite Yaya Diaby, all three are likely to see an uptick in snaps against the Vikings. Walker recorded his first career sack against the Browns while playing nine defensive snaps.
While Bain has recorded just a single tackle so far through two games, Trotter is the Buccaneers' leading tackler with 21 stops and has also notched two tackles for loss, 1.0 sack and one interception he returned 38 yards for a touchdown against the Bengals in Week One.
CLICK HERE for a detailed preview of Sunday's game against Minnesota.
September 23 Updates
Starting quarterbacks in the NFL are obligated to conduct a weekly session with the local media. The Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield generally fulfills this obligation on Wednesdays, shortly after the conclusion of the first week of the practice. This week, however, his time at the podium has been moved to Thursday and a member of the team's communications staff provided the reason why: Mayfield is dealing with an illness.
Fortunately, while it caused a shift in the media schedule, that illness did not keep Mayfield from his primary occupation. He was a full participant in Wednesday's practice as the Buccaneers began their preparations to face the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
Since taking over as the Bucs' starting quarterback at the beginning of the 2023 season, Mayfield has not missed a start, opening 56 consecutive games, playoffs included. In that span he ranks second among all NFL passers with 96 touchdown passes and third with 12,635 passing yards.
The Buccaneers will issue the first injury report of the week later on Wednesday afternoon, but Head Coach Todd Bowles also noted that cornerback Jacob Parrish was a full participant after sitting out Sunday's game against Cleveland with a back injury. Rookie outside linebacker Rueben Bain Jr. did not practice due to a groin injury sustained in the Browns game.
CLICK HERE for some other early storylines regarding the upcoming game against the Vikings.
Buccaneers 16 - Browns 16 | Third Quarter Updates
The Buccaneers opened up the third frame with an Emeka Egbuka five-yard touchdown and the Browns followed suit with a Szmyt field goal and a Denzel Boston 55-yard score. Boston evaded a Bucs defender and accelerated for the touchdown.
Buccaneers 9 - Browns 6 | Second Quarter Updates
Neither team was able to reach the end zone in the second frame, as McLaughlin hit a 31-yarder and Szymt kicked a 34-yarder.
Buccaneers 6 - Browns 3 | First Quarter Updates
In the first two frame, Chase McLaughlin kicked two field goals to give the Bucs a 6-3 advantage, while Andre Szmyt drilled a 50-yarder to give three to the Browns.
September 18 Updates
The Buccaneers will issue their final injury report of Week Two later in the afternoon on Friday, but immediately after practice Head Coach Todd Bowles noted that the report will include no players listed as "out" or "doubtful" for Sunday's home opener against the Browns.
However, that doesn't mean the lineup for Sunday is already set. Two players who could fill major roles, cornerback Jacob Parrish and WR Jalen McMillan, will need to get clearance on the morning of the game before the 1:00 p.m. kickoff.
Parrish started at outside cornerback in the opener in Cincinnati but suffered a back injury in the first half and did not return to the game, with Benjamin Morrison coming on to fill his spot. Parrish has been able to practice this week, but was limited on both Wednesday and Thursday.
"He's coming along, getting better," said Bowles of the second-year defensive back. "It will go right up until game day."
McMillan was a full participant in practice this week for the first time since he sustained a knee injury early in training camp. He did not play in the season opener but could potentially make his 2026 debut on Sunday.
"Take it to go to game time, but he's still questionable," said Bowles of McMillan. "He was full[-go] today."
In addition, safety Miles Killebrew is still working his way through the NFL's concussion protocol, though the process has apparently gone well this week. Killebrew could be cleared over the weekend and be ready to suit up against the Browns.
"He still has to clear but he's been feeling good," said Bowles. "If he feels good the next two days he'll probably play."
CLICK HERE for a look at how the Bucs and Browns stack up in a variety of statistical categories.
September 17 Updates
The Buccaneers had a relatively encouraging debut in Zac Robinson's offense in Week One, though four lost fumbles put a cap on their overall output. Two of the four fumbles came on sacks of quarterback Baker Mayfield, though they were both long-developing plays and Mayfield has since said he should have taken checkdown options earlier.
When he did have time to throw, Mayfield completed 23 of 28 passes for 216 yards and was not intercepted. Still, it will be imperative to give him even better protection in Week Two against another talented defensive front with the Cleveland Browns coming to Tampa. Left tackle Tristan Wirfs explained that the Browns' four-man defensive line attacks offenses in a different manner than what he and his linemates encountered in Cincinnati last weekend, which presents both a challenge and an opportunity.
"I think against these guys, I mean, D-line-wise, I say it every week, there [are] no bad D-lines [in the NFL]," said Wirfs. "Giving Baker time to dice these guys up is going to be huge. They're a big penetrating front, so a little bit different than Cincinnati, Cincinnati [are] more readers, but kind of from the Niners family. They're big penetrators, so if we can gash them, it's going to be great. It's just going to open things up for us."
Cleveland's defense recorded just one sack on 24 dropbacks by Trevor Lawrence in Week One, with second-year defensive tackle Mason Graham breaking through for an 11-yard loss. Lawrence completed 18 of 23 passes for 245 yards and four touchdowns. Most of that came before halftime and the Jaguars only attempted five passes in the second half while sitting on a big lead. The Bucs will try to get off to a similarly fast start on offense and Wirfs knows that it's his group that will be instrumental in making that happen.
CLICK HERE for more thoughts from Tristan Wirfs and Josiah Trotter from the Bucs' locker room on Thursday.
September 16 Updates
Though a quartet of turnovers ultimately put a cap on its overall output, Tampa Bay's passing attack was reasonably efficient in the season-opening loss in Cincinnati on Sunday. Baker Mayfield completed 23 of his 28 passes for 216 yards as the Bucs operated primarily out of "11" personnel, with three receivers on the field. Those three were almost always Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka and rookie Ted Hurst, who finished the game with a combined 14 catches for 139 yards.
It was an encouraging start for a Bucs' receiving corps that started a season without Mike Evans for the first time in 13 years. The good news is that that group has a good chance to be deeper in Week Two and going forward.
On Wednesday, Head Coach Todd Bowles reported that third-year wideout Jalen McMillan was a full participant in the first practice leading up to next Sunday's home opener against the Browns. McMillan suffered a knee injury early in training camp, spent several weeks on the sideline and was limited in all three practices last week. Mayfield said that adding McMillan to the group above would change things significantly.
"Yeah, J-Mac's a stud," said Mayfield. "Just unfortunate timing on some of his injuries in the past couple years. But he had a great offseason leading up to that point. [He's] a guy that I trust completely. He brings a different dynamic, being able to separate in coverage, a different level of juice, and also somebody that when he makes plays you can feel the energy on the sideline. You can feel it from him and he elevates the standard."
A third-round draft pick out of Washington in 2024, McMillan was slowed early in his rookie year by minor injuries but closed the season in a rush, catching seven touchdown passes in the last five games and finishing with 461 yards on 37 catches. He was primed for a breakout year in 2025 as one of early stars of training camp, but he suffered a scary neck injury in a preseason game at Pittsburgh and didn't make it back onto the field until December. Still, a 114-yard game against the Dolphins in Week 17 indicated that he still had the same sky-high potential. If he encounters better injury luck the rest of this season, he should be a big factor in the passing attack, perhaps starting as soon as this Sunday.
CLICK HERE for a look at some of the top storylines regarding the upcoming game against Cleveland.
Bengals 27 - Buccaneers 20 | Third Quarter Updates
Both teams kicked a field goal in the third but Josiah Trotter became the catalyst for Tampa Bay in the third frame with a pick-six to trim the deficit.
Bengals 24 - Buccaneers 10 | Second Quarter Updates
Both teams scored in the second frame. Chase Brown walked in untouched through the interior on a five-yard touchdown, capping off the 12-play, 80-yard drive to give the Bengals more cushion in the driver's seat.
The Buccaneers got on the board with an Irving 10-yard touchdown. He quickly bounced to the outside, and Godwin had an effective block to seal the edge. Tampa Bay trailed 21-10 after the score, which was prompted by Godwin's 30-yard gain over the middle of the field.
Bengals 14 - Buccaneers 3 | First Quarter Updates
The Buccaneers trail the Bengals 14-3 at the end of the first quarter. Two turnovers by Tampa Bay in the first frame shifted the momentum to the home team at Paycor Stadium.
Bryan Cook and Dexter Lawrence tackled Bucky Irving and Cook knocked the ball free at the Tampa Bay 33-yard line and it was recovered by Boye Mafe. The Bengals capitalized with a two-yard touchdown to Mike Gesicki on a seven-play drive.
September 11 Updates
The Buccaneers apparently will not fully rule out any players on their first Friday injury report of the 2026 season, but it does appear as if two offensive contributors will be sidelined in Cincinnati on Sunday. Though the team will release that injury report later in the afternoon, Head Coach Todd Bowles indicated after practice that wide receiver Jalen McMillan and running back Sean Tucker are considered doubtful.
McMillan has been working back from a knee injury suffered early in training camp, while Tucker more recently sustained a hamstring strain. Both were limited in practice this week (Tucker actually did not participate on Wednesday before getting some work in the next two days) and Bowles said neither had experienced a set-back but it appears they will be out for the opener.
Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, who was a full participant in practice this week after missing several weeks with a toe injury, is "full-go," according to Bowles, who said the Buccaneers have enough receiver depth to get by without McMillan this week. In particular, rookie Ted Hurst would seem to be in line for more work if McMillan is out. Bowles said Hurst is prepared for that opportunity.
"[It's] the things you saw in the preseason," said Bowles. "It's invaluable to a rookie because he gets reps and he gets smarter, knows the playbook. We know what his physical skills are but it's about getting everything down mentally, and he's done a really good job of that."
Without Tucker, the Bucs would only have two active running backs on Sunday in Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell. They do have second-year back Josh Willams, who spent time on the active roster last year, on the practice squad and could choose to elevate him for the game. That decision had not been made as of Friday, but Bowles said the Bucs would be confident in him as their third back against the Bengals.
"If we have to elevate him, yeah," said the coach. "We've got a lot of moving parts going that we've got to do, so it's not automatic."
CLICK HERE for a detailed preview of Sunday's season opener in Cincinnati.
September 10 Updates
As the Buccaneers' 2026 season dawns, tackle Tristan Wirfs wants to turn back the clock. Not all the way back to the Super Bowl LV glory days, or to his first All-Pro season in 2021, or even to the arrival of Baker Mayfield in 2023 that kicked off a new era in the Bucs' offense. No, in this case, we're just talking about a short rewind, skipping the injury-plagued 2025 campaign that cratered the team's offense numbers to 2024 when everything was clicking on that side of the ball including, for the first time in years, the ground game.
The only significant difference in the Bucs' lineup as it concerns the rushing attack between the end of 2024 and the start of 2026 is that former Steelers MVP Kenny Gainwell is now Bucky Irving's backfield mate instead of Rachaad White. Third back Sean Tucker is still on hand, as are all five starting offensive linemen from Wirfs on the left side to right tackle Luke Goedeke to interior linemen Ben Bredeson, Graham Barton and Cody Mauch.
"What year was it, 2024? Our run game was something else," said Wirfs on Thursday, a little wistfully. "Top five. That's when we're at our best. Kenny G. coming in, a freak of nature. Bucky's back – literally a joystick. All these guys. Tuck's a freak. When Tuck gets downhill it's hard to stop him. That's where it starts, and again it starts with us up front. We've got to be on top of our stuff, on top of our combinations, moving the line of scrimmage and getting them up to the second and third level, getting them in space."
In 2024, after eight straight seasons of ranking 24th or worse in the NFL in rushing yards – including dead last in 2022 and 2023 – the Bucs ran for 149.2 yards per game and a team-record 5.25 yards per carry, ranking fourth and third in the league in those categories, respectively. Not coincidentally, the Bucs were also top five in points score and total yards that season. The one main difference between 2024 and 2026 is this year's arrival of Zac Robinson as the new Offensive Coordinator. Robinson comes from the same coaching background as the 2024 OC, Liam Coen, so there will be plenty of similarities in the Bucs' ground game but also potentially some new wrinkles.
The Buccaneers just gave their quarterback the biggest contract in franchise history and would love to see him also reproduce his 2024 season (4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns), but they know the best way to get there is once again to support him with a strong rushing attack.
"Yeah, that's when we're at our best, when our run game gets going," said Wirfs. "In Z-Rob's new offense I think we've got all the pieces to do it. It's just up to us. We've got to go out and execute and start it off."
CLICK HERE for more sound from the Bucs' locker room on Thursday.
September 9 Updates
When the Buccaneers drafted Missouri linebacker Josiah Trotter with the 46th overall pick in this year's NFL draft, it was always considered a strong possibility that he would win a starting job right out of the gate as a rookie, just like another second-round linebacker did 14 years ago. That player was recently-retired franchise icon Lavonte David, who played so well and demonstrated such veteran-like command of the defense that he was in the lineup in Week One of the 2012 season.
Still, it was not a given, and it was not given. Trotter still had to earn his starting spot and the Bucs did have an incumbent starter from 2025 still on the roster in SirVocea Dennis. And earn it he did. When the team released its depth chart for Week One, Trotter had been moved up to the first line on defense for the first time.
"He had a heck of a preseason," said Head Coach Todd Bowles. "He came in and he played ball…not only just playing ball, he's very intelligent. He understood the scheme and he rarely made mistakes. When you get that kind of ballplayer that puts it all together that early, you couldn't deny him from playing."
Trotter will line up next to veteran Alex Anzalone, the free agent acquisition who will be the Bucs' signal-caller on the field and has already been chosen by his new teammates as a team captain. Anzalone watched his rookie running mate stack good days on top of each other in training camp and things he's ready to contribute now that the games count.
"I think the biggest thing for him was consistency," said Anzalone. "We do have a defense that does put a lot on a guy like him at the linebacker position. We do different things. He stepped up and played, and now I'm waiting to see where he takes it. Now the real fun starts."
CLICK HERE for more of Coach Bowles' thoughts after practice on Wednesday.
September 7 Updates
The Buccaneers have cultivated enough wide receiver depth in recent seasons that they feel very good about the state of that position on the active roster even after the offseason departure of Mike Evans. After last week's roster cuts, the position now runs six deep on the 53-man roster and boasts multiple players who are young and still ascending.
The picture looks a little different, however, when one-third of that unit is watching from the sideline. That has been the case for the Buccaneers for several weeks now, as Emeka Egbuka (toe) and Jalen McMillan (knee) have been either fully sidelined or quite limited for practices. Neither has missed a game that counted in the standings and both were looking very good before sustaining their injuries, but now the start of the regular season is just six days away.
Fortunately, both receivers appear to be trending in the right direction after taking part in the Bucs' "bonus" practice on Monday.
"They got their first taste out there," said Head Coach Todd Bowles after the 80-minute field session. "We'll see how the week goes but they ran around pretty good today."
The Buccaneers don't have to submit an official injury report until Wednesday so there is no official designation as to what level of participation – full or limited – Egbuka or McMillan had in Monday's practice. The same is true for running back Sean Tucker, who did not take part in the drills the team ran during the portion of practice open to media viewing.
"He's still rehabbing and he'll be a game-time decision right now," said Bowles of Tucker.
CLICK HERE for a look at which players the Bucs voted in as team captains on Monday.
September 2 Updates
The NFL sent out three separate transaction "wires" on Monday, the day after every team in the league pared their rosters down to 53 players for the regular season. The first of those wires, released around 1:00 p.m. ET, included a list of players who had been waived on Sunday night and then claimed by another team. There were a total of 24 waiver claims made early Monday by a total of 14 teams.
The Buccaneers were not among those 14 teams. As always, they did their due diligence and reviewed the list of around 1,000 players on Sunday night's waiver wire but did not find a player they coveted more than the 53 they already had on the active roster.
"I mean, you always look at guys," said Head Coach Todd Bowles. "You know, everybody is kind of letting go the same guys. It's either sign the guys back that [have] been in your system, unless you see somebody that you really want to go out and get, maybe one or two guys, but not a total overhaul as far as what we saw."
That changed a day later. The Chiefs initially kept second-year cornerback Kevin Knowles, a productive special teams player for them in 2025, as one of their 53 through Sunday's cuts. However, Kansas City successfully claimed two players on Monday, which meant they had two cut two others, and one of those was Knowles. (Coincidentally, one of the two players the Chiefs claimed was rookie outside linebacker Jack Pyburn, who had been waived by Tampa Bay on Sunday.)
Knowles, it turns out, was a player the Buccaneers thought could improve their roster, so they put in a claim on Sunday night. On Monday, they found out they were successful, as they were higher in the claiming order than the Bears, who also put in a claim. While the former Florida State standout adds depth to a Bucs secondary that had somewhat surprisingly been trimmed to just eight players on Sunday, the coaching staff also has a very specific role for Knowles in mind.
"[He's a] heck of a special teams player," said Bowles on Tuesday. "With [Josh] Hayes down, we're probably short a gunner. He's a very good gunner, a very good kickoff guy."
Hayes, who was placed on injured reserve on Sunday and must miss a minimum of four games before returning to the active roster, was a prominent member of the Bucs' gunner rotation, and has been throughout his three seasons in Tampa. On punts, teams generally line up one gunner on each side of the formation, separated wide from the line, and those are the only two members of the coverage team who can start downfield immediately at the snap. The other nine must wait until the ball is kicked. As such, gunners tend to land near the top of a team's leaderboard for special teams tackles each season. Hayes led the Bucs in 2025 with 15 kick-coverage stops and he also recorded the team's only forced fumble on special teams.
Knowles was similarly productive in coverage for the Chiefs last year. He split his rookie season between the practice squad and the active roster but was also elevated on game day from the practice squad three times, leading to a total of 13 games played. In those 13 games, he tied for the team lead with eight solo kick-coverage tackles and also recovered a fumble.
The Buccaneers made several offseasons in an attempt to shore up their kick-and-coverage game overall, most notably hiring the highly-regarded Danny Smith as their new coordinator. The claiming of Knowles indicates that those efforts are ongoing, and they are considered very important. When Bowles was asked how many wins a good special teams crew can be responsible for in a season, he answered, "Three to four." One more win in 2025 would have put the Bucs in the playoffs.
CLICK HERE for more of Coach Bowles' thoughts after practice on Wednesday.
September 1 Updates
The Buccaneers drafted Miami pass-rushing dynamo Rueben Bain Jr. with the 15th overall pick in this year's draft and wasted little time installing him in the starting lineup, where he is expected to add significant juice to the edge rush rotation. On Tuesday, both General Manager Jason Licht and Head Coach Todd Bowles shared matching opinions that the team's current outside linebacker rotation has the greatest depth of talent than at another point in their respective tenures in Tampa.
As such, it would have been a bit disappointing to start the regular season without Bain's services, and that at least looked like a possibility when the rookie was pulled from last Tuesday's joint practice in Jacksonville due to a shoulder issue. Fortunately, Bain was back on the practice field a week later and Bowles anticipates him suiting up against the Bengals in Week One.
"We were expecting him to play," said Bowles. "He said he's feeling good, so we're going to roll with that. He feels good and we're going to play with it."
Wide receivers Emeka Egbuka (toe) and Jalen McMillan (knee), conversely, remained sidelined on Tuesday morning and both have missed multiple weeks of work with their injuries. There is still, however, optimism that both will be back in action in Week One.
"I'll feel better when I see next week," said Bowles. "Right now, they're day by day, week by week. We'll see how they come along next week."
Offensive tackle Benjamin Chukwuma and rookie guard Billy Schrauth were also back in the mix on Tuesday after missing time with minor injuries, but tackle Justin Skule and linebacker Christian Rozeboom remained out. Bowles wasn't sure if Rozeboom will recover in time for the Cincinnati game.
"He's dealing with a foot injury," said the coach. "He's doing some running. I don't know how far away he'll be. He'll be close. We'll see if he makes it."
CLICK HERE for more of Coach Bowles' thoughts after practice on Tuesday.
