August 19 Updates

When the Buccaneers took on the Steelers in the second game of the preseason last Saturday night, they were playing without seven defensive backs who were dealing with injuries of varying significance: cornerbacks Benjamin Morrison, Tyrek Funderburk, Josh Hayes, Bryce Hall and Roman Parodie and safeties Antoine Winfield Jr. and J.J. Roberts. In addition, do-everything secondary Band-Aid Christian Izien left the game with an oblique injury and did not return.

Given that long list of banged-up DBs and one preseason game remaining before the regular season arrives in a hurry, the Bucaneers were hoping to get some of those players back in action on Tuesday as a new week of practice began. Some of those hopes were realized, most notably Winfield returning to the field after missing several weeks with an lower-leg injury.

Not only did Winfield practice on Tuesday, but he looked to be at full-speed, at least in the estimation of Head Coach Todd Bowles.

"He was fast and focused," said Bowles. "Any time Win's out there, he enjoys playing the game, and you love that about him. He works on different things every day to get better and he tries to not be satisfied with the day before. So he was flying around today."

Though Winfield missed the chance to play the first quarter with the rest of the Bucs' starters in Pittsburgh, the team was obviously more focused on his availability for the regular season, which kicks off on September 7. After earning first-team Associated Press All-Pro honors with a season for the ages in 2023, Winfield was limited to nine games by a variety of injuries in 2024 and wasn't available to provide the endless stream of big plays for which he has become known.

While Winfield was in action, his starting safety partner, Tykee Smith, was sidelined by an unspecified injury. In addition, the aforementioned oblique strain sustained by Izien on Saturday is going to need some time to heal, possibly even cutting into his availability for the start of the regular season.

"Hopefully it doesn't, but it could trickle into the season if it doesn't heal right," said Bowles.

Meanwhile, while Morrison, Funderburk and Hayes all remained out on Tuesday, Hall and Parodie were back in the mix. Roberts' season is done after he was placed on injured reserve on Monday.

"We've got some guys coming back this week," said Bowles. "We'll see how Bryce and Parodie feel by the end of the week, but they did some stuff today and hopefully we can get through the game with the guys that we've got. We lost one or two but we gained one or two."

CLICK HERE to review the Bucs' recent roster moves in the secondary.

August 17 Updates

The Buccaneers played most of their starters on both sides of the ball for the majority of the first quarter in Saturday night's 17-14 road win over the Steelers, but not all of them. As Head Coach Todd Bowles had already suggested would be the case two days earlier, seasoned veterans Mike Evans and Lavonte David were given the night off. On Friday, Bowles made the decision to hold out one more starter on offense: quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Bowles wasn't concerned about putting his Pro Bowl starter in harm's way. He simply had seen enough from Mayfield in a joint practice with the Steelers on Thursay afternoon, particularly when it came to specifically scripted game situations. Since the starters were only going to play the first quarter on Saturday night, they weren't going to be in the game for any potential two-minute drill at the end of the half, but Mayfield had already shined in that scenario in the joint practice.

"I'm not worried about the risk of it at all," said Bowles. "We wanted to see him get a two-minute drive in, and we got that in on Thursday. He would not have been in the game in two minutes last night anyway. He got tons of work in practice, and you do a lot more schematically in practice – they do and we do as well. He got a lot of different looks from those guys, played a bunch of practice, and did a heck of a job that way. Barring him having the two minute that he wouldn't have been in [there for], there was no need to play him in that game."

As such, Mayfield is not expected to get any game action until the regular season rolls around on September 7. Heading into the preseason, Bowles had only planned to use his starters in one of the three games, and that proved to be Saturday night in Pittsburgh. The preseason finale next weekend against the Bills should be one last opportunity for the players fighting for spots on the back end of the roster to make their cases to stick around. In addition, given that the Buccaneers and Bills are also slated to play each other during the regular season, the offensive game plans for both teams are likely to be watered down in order to avoid putting anything useful for the opponent on tape.

"We haven't discussed it yet, but typically I don't usually play starters for all three games," said Bowles. "We'll see, but he doesn't need to play to be ready for the season."

With Teddy Bridgewater now up to speed enough in the Bucs system to contribute, as he did to good effect in the win over the Steelers, the Bucs have plenty of arms to get them through next Saturday's contest. Bowles said that Bridgewater, Kyle Trask and undrafted rookie Connor Bazelak would all be available against the Bills.

"Going forward, Kyle and [Bridgewater] will play next week, and 'Baze' will play next week, and we'll go from there," said Bowles.

CLICK HERE for highlights from Saturday's win in Pittsburgh.

August 14 Updates

The only two quarterbacks who took the field for the Buccaneers in their preseason-opening win over the Titans last weekend were Kyle Trask, Baker Mayfield's primary backup, and undrafted rookie Connor Bazelak. When the Bucs put on their game uniforms again, this Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, there will be two more passers geared up for action.

In addition to announcing that all but a few select starters were expected to play against the Steelers in Preseason Week Two, Head Coach Todd Bowles also said that quarterback Teddy Bridgewater would see some action. It will be Bridgewater's first game action as a Buccaneer.

"Teddy's going to make an appearance, yes," confirmed Bowles.

Bridgewater signed with the Buccaneers nine days ago as the team sought to add some veteran experience to the largely untested group behind Mayfield. Bridgewater has played in 79 games with 65 starts and has a Pro Bowl appearance on his resume. He most recently was on the Lions' roster during the postseason in 2024 and he has been a full-season starter for Minnesota, Carolina and Denver.

Bridgewater only got in a limited amount of work in two practices last week before the team's preseason opener. After getting significantly more work in this week, including during Thursday's joint practice with the Steelers, he will play in the game, though Bowles did not specify how the reps would be divvied up between him, Trask and Bazelak. Whatever work Bridgewater gets, Bowles expects him to be ready to handle it.

"Well, he's very smart," said Bowles. "He's played the game a long time and seen a lot of offenses, so he understands offensive schemes. The wording, the language may be different for him but once he got the down after a few days, we'd like to see him run the offense and we'd like to see him control the game."

CLICK HERE for more on how the Bucs' trip to Pittsburgh is going with today's Training Camp Report from Acrisure Stadium.

August 13 Updates

Veteran safety Antoine Winfield Jr. didn't play in last Saturday's preseason opener against Tennessee because Head Coach Todd Bowles chose to hold almost all of his starters out. Bowles might give this starters some run this coming Saturday night in Pittsburgh, but there's a chance Winfield will sit that one out, too.

The Buccaneers held a two-hour practice on the Carnegie Mellon University campus on Wednesday, but Winfield did not take part. After the practice, Bowles said that Winfield was dealing with a new ailment.

"He's got a lower leg injury," said Bowles. "He's a little sore."

Winfield is one of the top playmakers in the Buccaneers' secondary. He was limited to nine games last season due to various injuries but in 2023 he put together 122 tackles, 6.0 sacks, three interceptions, 12 passes defensed, six forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. That wide-ranging performance earned him first-team Associated Press All-Pro honors, and the Buccaneers anticipate him returning to that level of play in 2025.

On Wednesday, safety Christian Izien filled in for Winfield on the first-team defense next to Tykee Smith. Izien has proved capable of playing at a high level at multiple positions in the secondary.

CLICK HERE for more on the Bucs' trip to Pittsburgh in Wednesday's Training Camp Report.

Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater didn't play in the Buccaneers' preseason opener, either, which made sense given that he had just signed with the team a few days earlier and had gotten only limited work in a pair of practices prior to the game.

During Wednesday's practice, Bridgewater was more prominently featured in the Bucs' quarterback rotation during practice at Carnegie Mellon. On Thursday, the Buccaneers will head to Acrisure Stadium for a joint practice with the Steelers, the same location and opponent the team will encounter on Saturday night for preseason game two. Head Coach Todd Bowles said the work Bridgewater gets done in that field session will help him determine whether or not the veteran passer will play in Saturday's game.

"I'll tell you after tomorrow's practice," said Bowles on Wednesday regarding that decision. "I want to see how much work he can get in."

Bowles said Bridgewater's extensive NFL experience, which was a major factor in the Bucs' decision to sign him, was evident during Wednesday's workout.

"He knows how to run an offense," said Bowles. "He definitely knows how to run an offense. The timing is coming with the receivers so we look forward to him playing a little more."

CLICK HERE for more of Coach Bowles' thoughts after practice.

August 11 Updates

With Bucky Irving joining most of the Buccaneers' starters on the sideline for Saturday's preseason-opening win over Tennessee, fourth-year back Rachaad White drew the start. However, he played only 10 offensive snaps before exiting with a groin injury, logging six carries for 28 yards. On Monday, Head Coach Todd Bowles suggested White's injury wasn't too serious.

"He's just got a groin," said Bowles. "He's day-to-day."

White's role as the backfield complement to Irving seems secure. Despite eventually being passed by Irving on the depth chart last season and seeing the share of touches tilt in the direction of the then-rookie out of Oregon, White still surpassed 1,000 yards from scrimmage and caught 57 passes. He is also considered the best pass protector in the Bucs' stable of backs.

That said, if White does miss any game time in the coming weeks, the Bucs have Sean Tucker ready to step up into the number-two role. After the game on Saturday, in which Tucker carried the ball 13 times for 50 yards and a touchdown into the teeth of a defense expecting the run, Bowles indicated a desire to get the third-year back more touches.

Owen Wright, who just signed with the team on July 31, led the Bucs with 87 rushing yards on 18 carries against the Titans, also scoring a touchdown. He was held out of practice on Monday and Bowles indicated he was sore of carrying a heavy load on Saturday night. However, rookie running back Josh Williams, an undrafted signee out of LSU, returned to practice after missing time with a leg injury. Williams had impressed the coaches during spring work and the early days of training camp. Bowles is looking forward to seeing the rookie make his NFL debut this coming Saturday in Pittsburgh.

"It's important for him to get out there," said Bowles. "We've got to see him, and it'll be great to see him under the lights. He's missed some time, so he's got some catching up to do. He's a guy we were high on coming in, so he'll be a guy we're interested in seeing Saturday night."

CLICK HERE for more of Coach Bowles' thoughts about Saturday's game and Monday's practice.

August 7 Updates

There are few drills in an NFL practice more entertaining than one-on-one routes between wide receivers and defensive backs, but it's not exactly a fair exercise. With no pass rush and no linebacker or safety help, the defenders are at a big disadvantage and generally the majority of passes are complete.

Still, a viewer can make some judgments on how well a receiver handles his reps in one-on-one drills, such as the sharpness of his routes and how quickly he can gain separation, and whether or not he wins in contested catch situations. On Thursday, in the Buccaneers' joint practice with the Titans, rookie wideout Emeka Egbuka continued his outstanding training camp performance by displaying those things on all three of his one-on-one reps.

On the first one, Egbuka started up the middle then made a double move before cutting out to the right that earned him a sudden separation of at least five yards from cornerback Roger McCreary and an easy catch with room for YAC. On the second one, the rookie pass-catcher quickly got around press coverage from cornerback Jalen Kimber with a quick stutter step then faked right before running a flag route towards the left sideline, once again gaining a lot of separation to make himself an easy target. On Egbuka's third route he ran a go route and had to fight through cornerback Davion Ross on a jump ball to come down with the football.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield said the Bucs have already come to expect this type of play from Egbuka but it was still good to see him excel against an unfamiliar foe.

"Any experience for those guys to see it against a different scheme, different guys [is useful]," said Mayfield. "You get used to how certain DBs are going to cover you in camp, so for him to be able to work some of that stuff, it's vital experience. But we trust him."

CLICK HERE for a more in-depth look on how this year's training camp is going with today's Training Camp report, featuring not one, not two but three special guests (Gene Deckerhoff, Rick Stroud and Pat Kerwin.

August 6 Updates

The Buccaneers released their first depth chart of 2025 on Tuesday because they were required to do so before their opening preseason game. The irony is, the players listed as starters on that depth chart are the ones least likely to play on Saturday night against the Titans.

Earlier in training camp, Head Coach Todd Bowles said he would like to get his starters a little more action in the preseason than they got last year. On Tuesday, Bowles clarified that he meant stretching the starters out a little more in the preseason game in which they do take part, not playing them in more of the games.

If Bowles follows a plan similar to the one he used last summer, that would mean the starters would get their action in either the second or third week, not this Saturday. In last year's preseason opener, the only players who were listed as starters on the initial depth chart to play were the interior O-line trio of Ben Bredeson, Robert Hainsey and Cody Mauch on offense plus defensive linemen Logan Hall and linebacker K.J. Britt. Hainsey would be replaced by the start of the regular season by then-rookie Graham Barton.

Bowles indicated last Saturday that he expected to be watching mostly young players on Saturday night, particularly if the starters get enough quality reps in the joint practice with Tennessee on Thursday. With the game just a few days away, Bowles has formulated a working plan for playing time in the game but still wants to see what happens on Thursday before finalizing a few lineup decisions.

"I've determined it in my head but there's a few people that I need to look at it in joint practice to see, and then I'll discuss it with the coaches to let them know who is and who isn't," he said.

Presumably, Baker Mayfield will be one of the many veterans who will get Saturday night off, which would mean a start for Kyle Trask, as was the case in last year's preseason opener. First-year passer Michael Pratt remains on the active/PUP list due to a back ailment, but the Buccaneers could turn to undrafted rookie Connor Bazelak after Trask. The team also signed veteran quarterback Teddy Bridgewater on Tuesday but would prefer not to throw him into the fire Saturday after just two practices.

"We're waiting to see how much he can absorb," said Bowles. "He'll be ready to play if he has to clean up the ballgame. We don't plan on it at this time and he didn't take many reps today other than the warmup reps. It would be unfair to put him out there and play like that, but we'll get him caught up to speed as much as possible and then we'll kind of make a decision based on how the game's going."

CLICK HERE to peruse the Bucs' first depth chart of 2025.

August 5 Updates

The Buccaneers were happy to see guard Sua Opeta come off the active/PUP list on Tuesday and return to practice after spending more than a year recovering from a torn ACL. However, that still leaves three players on the PUP list, including the two big question marks regarding the team's roster at the start of the regular season.

Wide receiver Chris Godwin and tackle Tristan Wirfs continue to be listed on the active/PUP list, along with first-year quarterback Michael Pratt, and have yet to practice in training camp. Godwin suffered a dislocated ankle and a number of associated injuries in Week Seven of last season and Wirfs underwent an arthroscopic surgical procedure on his knee in July.

At the time of his injury, Godwin was leading the NFL in receptions and was second in receiving yards as he was off to his best start of a season in his career. Wirfs, meanwhile, became the first player in league history to be named a first-team Associated Press All-Pro at both right and left tackle after earning that second honor in 2024. The Buccaneers' roster will obviously be stronger when those two are able to return to the field, and whether or not that is at the start of the regular season has not yet been determined for either.

Being placed on the active/PUP list does not necessarily mean a player will miss regular-season games. It simply provides the option for that player to be moved to reserve/PUP for the start of the season if that is deemed necessary. Players placed on reserve/PUP are required to miss a minimum of four games before they can return. If the Buccaneers believe Godwin and/or Wirfs will be able to return to action earlier than Week Five, they may choose not to put them on the reserve list.

On Tuesday, General Manager Jason Licht struck an optimistic tone on the status of both players, though he said the team still did not know if either will be ready for the start of the regular season.

On Godwin potentially landing on reserve/PUP: "That we don't know yet. He's doing very well. He's advancing through his protocols. He's exactly where they anticipated and hoped that he would be at this point. We've still got a ways to go."

On Wirfs' recovery: "He's doing an excellent job. We just have to be careful here and not push him out there too early. I'm sure we'll put him through a battery of tests before we actually deem him fit to play; I'm sure his doctors well. We just want to be careful with that one because he's a cornerstone player for us. We don't want him out there before it's too soon, but he's doing an excellent job."

CLICK HERE to listen to Head Coach Todd Bowles' thoughts after practice on Tuesday.

For the second practice in a row, the Buccaneers wrapped up the action on Tuesday with a brief period focused on two-point attempt plays. And for the second practice in a row, it was a very competitive way to finish a steamy two-hour session.

On Saturday, the Bucs' most recent practice before the start of this week's work, the defense gained the upper had on a series of four plays, all pass attempts. Cornerbacks Jamel Dean, Jacob Parrish and Benjamin Morrison each broke up a pass in the end zone before running back Rachaad White finally got one in with a reception on the fourth rep.

Depending on who's perspective one adopts, the defense may have won again on Tuesday in another series of four plays, this time all of them rushing attempts. With an NFL officiating crew on hand to work practice for the first time this summer, Tuesday's drill did have something of an official arbiter, though instant replay would have come in handy, too.

Bucky Irving and Rachaad White each got two carries, and while it wasn't a fully live drill with defenders trying to take the running backs to the ground, there was plenty of aggressive hitting near the goal line. According to the spots by the side judge, Irving was stopped short both times while White made it in on his second carry but not his first.

That would seem to make the score 3-1 in the defense's favor again, but Head Coach Todd Bowles didn't appear to agree in his post-practice interview session.

"I think it was 2-2," said Bowles simply.

The point of contention was apparently the first snap, where it appeared that Irving might have broken the plane before he was driven back by a clean-up hit from safety Antoine Winfield Jr. The reaction of many of the team's offensive players after the official's spot was intense disagreement. There was some difference of opinion over Irving's second carry as well, but linebacker Antonio Grier and safety Christian Izien clearly stopped White short on his first carry.

CLICK HERE to watch another Bucky Irving play that was cause for celebration rather than argument.

August 2 Updates

Rookie cornerback Jacob Parrish has been a notable standout during the first two weeks of the Buccaneers' training camp, often drawing first-team work in the slot in nickel packages. He ran with the first team for much of Saturday's practice, for instance, and finished up the day with a pass break-up in the end zone on a series of two-point attempts.

That Parrish was in position to make that potentially game-changing play wasn't surprising to Head Coach Todd Bowles, who has been impressed with how quickly and thoroughly the third-round pick out of Kansas State has absorbed the defensive playbook.

"It's hard to say he's grown because he's been good since the first day he got here," said Bowles. "We correct him very little, and that's a scary thing, especially for me. We don't say his name much because he's always doing the right thing."

Parrish is part of a deep group of contenders for the starting slot corner job, but the Bucs also believe he can play outside cornerback and have an immediate impact on special teams, as well.

"You tend to forget that he's a rookie coming in," said Bowles. "His preparation and toughness and readiness to play – you tell him something one time and he's got it. He loves to compete. He goes outside, he goes inside, he plays special teams and he's been a joy to be around. Other than his singing voice, he's been doing a very good job."

CLICK HERE to hear more of Coach Bowles thoughts on Training Camp when he spoke with NFL Network's "Training Camp Live" crew.

August 1 Updates

Quarterback Baker Mayfield sat out practice on Friday and, after the two-hour workout concluded, Head Coach Todd Bowles said Mayfield is dealing with an issue to his right (throwing) hand but it is not a major concern.

"He's got a sore hand," said Bowles. "We gave him the day off. He's day to day and we're not worried about. It's just sore over the past few days. It's been an accumulation of days and we just felt we'd give him the day off."

After speaking with General Manager Jason Licht before Friday's practice, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero referred to Mayfield's injury as a contusion and noted that he did finish practice on Thursday after having his hand examined by team trainers.

Mayfield could get a solid block of days to rest his hand if the Bucs also keep him out of Saturday's practice. The players have the day off on Sunday and will only conduct a walk-through and hold meetings on Monday.

With the starter sidelined on Friday, fifth-year quarterback Kyle Trask and undrafted rookie Connor Bazelak absorbed all the reps. First-year man Michael Pratt, who is on the active/PUP list due to a back issue, remained unavailable. Bowles said Trask made the most of his chance to move into the number-one role.

"Probably the best he's looked since we've been in camp," said Bowles. "It was one of his better days – he made quicker decisions, he got the ball out of his hand, he did some good things. I'll probably have to see the tape to see the rest of it."

Bowles had previously said the Buccaneers were interested in adding a fourth healthy quarterback with Pratt's return uncertain. That search likely took on a bit more urgency after Mayfield was sidelined.

"Yes, we're working on that," said Bowles.

CLICK HERE to hear more of Tom Pelissero's thoughts on the Buccaneers on Thursday's Training Camp Report.