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Sean Tucker Sean Tucker One kickoff return Monday
Wed, Sep 17, 2025, 7:56 PM
Tucker played just one snap on offense in Monday night's 20-19 win over the Texans and did not log a touch, but he returned one kickoff for 26 yards.
Analysis: Despite training camp talk of having Tucker more consistently involved on offense this season, the third-year back has played just a single snap from scrimmage in each of the first two games. However, the speedy Syracuse product has recorded four total kickoff returns through two games and averaged a solid 26.8 yards on those runbacks. Nevertheless, reserve receiver Kameron Johnson was used on two of three total kickoff returns Monday night, which is at least worth noting heading into a Week 3 home matchup against the Jets. |
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Kameron Johnson Kameron Johnson Three returns in Week 2 win
Wed, Sep 17, 2025, 7:50 PM
Johnson ran back two kickoffs for 42 yards and returned one punt for six yards during the Buccaneers' 20-19 win over the Texans on Monday night.
Analysis: Johnson did get in on seven snaps from scrimmage but wasn't targeted. Johnson notably added kickoff-return duty in Week 2 after exclusively fielding punts in Week 1, while No. 3 running back Sean Tucker, who'd handled all three kickoffs in the Week 1 win over the Falcons, was in on just one Monday night. |
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Chris Godwin Chris Godwin Listed as limited participant
Wed, Sep 17, 2025, 3:34 PM
Godwin (ankle) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice.
Analysis: He practiced for the first time last Thursday before returning to non-activity Friday. Godwin's second instance of official practice participation is a positive sign, but reports earlier this month suggested he's unlikely to play before October and is being kept on the active roster only to practice and ramp up with teammates (rather than being restricted to a side field while on an injury list). The Buccaneers, however, haven't said anything of the sort publicly, instead waiting for the final injury report to rule Godwin out in Weeks 1 and 2. |
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Emeka Egbuka Emeka Egbuka Doesn't practice Wednesday
Wed, Sep 17, 2025, 3:28 PM
Egbuka didn't practice Wednesday due to hip and groin injuries.
Analysis: The rookie first-round pick has kicked off his pro career with a bang, combining for three touchdown catches in his first two games. Overall, he has eight receptions (on 13 targets) for 96 yards and the aforementioned scores. There's no telling if the new health concerns are threatening his availability for Sunday's contest against the Jets, but his activity level Thursday and Friday likely will provide insight in that regard. |
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Ryan Miller Ryan Miller Gets into end zone Monday
Tue, Sep 16, 2025, 5:17 PM
Miller secured his only target for a 20-yard touchdown in the Buccaneers' 20-19 win over the Texans on Monday night.
Analysis: Miller was in on 18 of 80 snaps from scrimmage and made good use of his one opportunity, coming down with a Baker Mayfield scoring strike along the back right of the end zone in the first quarter. The Furman product now has three touchdown receptions on 13 career NFL catches, but as the Buccaneers' receiver corps gets healthier in coming weeks with the anticipated season debuts of Chris Godwin (ankle) and Jalen McMillan (IR-neck), Miller will find snaps, targets and perhaps even active status hard to come by. |
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Sterling Shepard Sterling Shepard Remains involved in Week 2 win
Tue, Sep 16, 2025, 5:13 PM
Shepard secured all four targets for 34 yards in the Buccaneers' 20-19 win over the Texans on Monday night.
Analysis: The veteran wideout finished tied for third in receptions and enjoyed the same slotting in receiving yards as well while playing on a robust 60 of 88 snaps from scrimmage. A relationship with Baker Mayfield that dates back to their college days -- and that served as the foundation for Shepard being coaxed out of semi-retirement last season -- has paid off to an extent over the first two games of the new campaign, as Shepard sports a 7-73 line on 10 targets. The 32-year-old is likely to continue seeing a handful of targets as the de facto No. 3 receiver while at least one of Chris Godwin (ankle) or Jalen McMillan (IR-neck) remains sidelined. |
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Cade Otton Cade Otton First three catches of season
Tue, Sep 16, 2025, 5:09 PM
Otton brought in three of four targets for 25 yards in the Buccaneers' 20-19 win over the Texans on Monday night.
Analysis: Otton recorded a robust 91 percent snap share (73 snaps) on the night and was able to get on the stat sheet for the first time in 2025 with his trio of catches. Backup tight end Payne Durham logged just 17 snaps (21.0 percent share), so Otton remains the clear-cut top pass-catching option at the position, although it's disappointing to see he's drawn only seven targets through two games despite the absences of Chris Godwin (ankle) and Jalen McMillan (IR-neck). |
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Rachaad White Rachaad White Scores game-winning TD
Mon, Sep 15, 2025, 9:35 PM
White rushed 10 times for 65 yards and a touchdown and brought in both targets for one yard in the Buccaneers' 20-19 win over the Texans on Monday night. He also recovered a Baker Mayfield fumble.
Analysis: White logged seven fewer carries than backfield mate Bucky Irving, but the former finished with only six fewer rushing yards. Additionally, White was the only one of the two backs to cross the goal line, powering in off right guard with six seconds remaining for the game-winning touchdown. White is still a clear complementary option to Irvin, but after taking only two carries in the Week 1 win over the Falcons, his workload boost Monday night was encouraging for fantasy managers. White next takes aim a Jets defense that just allowed 132 yards on 21 carries to the Bills' James Cook on Sunday. |
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Emeka Egbuka Emeka Egbuka Another TD in MNF win
Mon, Sep 15, 2025, 9:29 PM
Egbuka brought in four of seven targets for 29 yards and a touchdown in the Buccaneers' 20-19 win over the Texans on Monday night.
Analysis: The rookie first-round pick had a relatively quiet latter portion of the game, but not before making his mark with what was already his third trip to the end zone through two NFL games. Egbuka scored on a nifty 15-yard catch and run in the second quarter, a play that accounted for more than half his receiving yardage on the night. The Texans, like the Falcons in Week 1, generally did a good job keeping plays in front of them, but Egbuka could benefit from the heavy attention Sauce Gardner is likely to bestow on Mike Evans in a Week 3 home matchup against the Jets on Sunday afternoon. |
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Baker Mayfield Baker Mayfield More late-game heroics Monday night
Mon, Sep 15, 2025, 9:25 PM
Mayfield completed 25 of 38 passes for 215 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions while adding three carries for 33 yards in the Buccaneers' 20-19 win over the Texans on Monday night. He also committed a fumble recovered by Tampa Bay.
Analysis: Mayfield was in danger of a second straight sub-200-yard performance to open the season, but the veteran signal-caller came alive on Tampa Bay's game-winning drive. Mayfield took the Bucs a total of 80 yards on 11 plays in just over two minutes, completing seven of nine passes while adding a 15-yard scramble before Rachaad White capped off the march with a two-yard touchdown run. In the second quarter, Mayfield also connected with Emeka Egbuka on a 15-yard scoring pass for the rookie's third touchdown over the first two games. Despite completing just 60.0 percent of his passes through the first pair of contests, Mayfield will also take a sparkling 5:0 TD:INT into a Week 3 home matchup against the Jets on Sunday afternoon. |
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Mike Evans Mike Evans Another five-catch tally in win
Mon, Sep 15, 2025, 9:17 PM
Evans secured five of 11 targets for 56 yards in the Buccaneers' 20-19 win over the Texans on Monday night.
Analysis: Evans comfortably led the Buccaneers in targets and also set the pace in receiving yards, albeit by a smaller margin. The Texans did a good job overall disrupting the rhythm between Evans and Baker Mayfield, leading to Evans' second straight five-catch, sub-60-yard effort to open the season. The successful QB-WR duo will look to author their first breakout performance of 2025 when the Buccaneers host the Jets in a Week 3 matchup on Sunday afternoon. |
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Bucky Irving Bucky Irving Exceeds 120 total yards in win
Mon, Sep 15, 2025, 9:14 PM
Irving rushed 17 times for 71 yards and brought in all six targets for 50 yards in the Buccaneers' 20-19 win over the Texans on Monday night.
Analysis: Backfield mate Rachaad White actually took the first touch of the night for the Buccaneers, but Irving went on to gain 16 yards on his first two carries later in the opening possession. The Texans were able to clamp down on Irving more consistently as the game unfolded, but the versatile second-year back helped make up for some inefficiency with his work as a receiver. Irving particularly came up big on Tampa Bay's game-winning drive, recording four of his catches for a total of 39 yards. White would go on to punch in the game-winning score, but Irving still outpaced him by seven carries and four targets. The duo should continue in a timeshare that clearly tilts in Irving's favor during a Week 3 home matchup against the Jets on Sunday afternoon. |
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Tez Johnson Tez Johnson Healthy scratch Week 2
Mon, Sep 15, 2025, 4:47 PM
Johnson (coach's decision) is inactive for Monday's game against the Texans, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Analysis: Johnson saw eight snaps on offense but failed to haul in his lone target during the Buccaneers' Week 1 win over the Falcons. The rookie seventh-rounder will observe Monday's game in street clothes, and whether he's active on gameday will likely depend on the health of the Bucs' receiving corps and return specialists. Johnson's next chance to suit up is Week 3 against the Jets on Sunday. |
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Devin Culp Devin Culp Won't suit up vs. Houston
Mon, Sep 15, 2025, 4:43 PM
Culp (coach's decision) is inactive for Monday night's game against the Texans, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Analysis: The 2024 seventh-rounder managed to make the Bucs' 53-man roster at the end of training camp but has been a healthy scratch for the first two games of the regular season. It appears Culp is unlikely to be active for gameday unless Cade Otton, Payne Durham or Ko Kieft were to miss time due to injury or illness. |
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Chris Godwin Chris Godwin Won't return in Week 2
Sat, Sep 13, 2025, 2:21 PM
Coach Todd Bowles said Saturday that Godwin (ankle) has been ruled out for Monday's game at Houston, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Analysis: Godwin logged his first practice reps Thursday since sustaining a dislocated left ankle Week 7 during the 2024 campaign, but he followed up that limited session with no activity Friday before Bowles made a ruling on his availability for Week 2. His next chance for game action arrives Sunday, Sept. 21 against the Jets, but he may need to practice on back-to-back days in order to put himself in a position to make his season debut. Mike Evans and rookie first-round pick Emeka Egbuka will continue to serve as the primary wide receivers for quarterback Baker Mayfield until Godwin is cleared to return. |
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Chris Godwin Chris Godwin Doesn't practice Friday
Fri, Sep 12, 2025, 6:04 PM
Godwin (ankle) didn't practice Friday.
Analysis: Godwin was limited Thursday in his first practice since suffering a dislocated left ankle Week 7 of last season, signaling that he was beginning to ramp up his conditioning. His next step in that regard likely will be taking part in drills on back-to-back days, which, because it didn't happen this week, may be an indication that he isn't a great candidate to return to action Monday at Houston. Ultimately, Tampa Bay can make a decision on Godwin's status for that contest when it posts its final Week 2 injury report Saturday. |
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Chris Godwin Chris Godwin Officially limited in return to practice
Thu, Sep 11, 2025, 12:18 PM
Coach Todd Bowles said Godwin (ankle) was limited at Thursday's practice, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Analysis: Bowles also told Brianna Dix of the team's official site that the Buccaneers "will see how [Godwin and Tristan Wirfs (knee)] come along during the week. They have a lot of tests to pass." Godwin got back on the practice field Thursday for the first time since dislocating his left ankle Week 7 of last season, and while he avoided the reserve/PUP list to begin the current campaign, the expectation for Godwin in particular was to give him a chance to return to game action by the end of September. Still, Tampa Bay seemingly is keeping the door open for Godwin to suit up Monday at Houston, assuming he clears the aforementioned hurdles. |
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Chris Godwin Chris Godwin Expected to practice Thursday
Thu, Sep 11, 2025, 10:11 AM
Godwin (ankle) is expected to practice Thursday in a limited fashion, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Analysis: Assuming Godwin does in fact go down as a limited participant on the Buccaneers' first Week 2 practice report, it would mark the wideout's first on-field work since he dislocated his left ankle in an Oct. 21 game against the Ravens. After undergoing an initial surgery in October, Godwin required a more minor secondary procedure in the spring to fix some of the hardware in the ankle. Ian Rapoport and Judy Battista of NFL Network previously reported Sunday that Godwin isn't expected to be ready to make his 2025 debut until at least the Buccaneers' Week 5 matchup with the Seahawks on Oct. 5, but Tampa Bay's decision not to place the receiver on injured reserve will allow him to practice with the team until he's deemed ready for game action. According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Godwin is expected to take part in two of the Buccaneers' three practices this week, but he could ramp up his activity further in Week 3. |
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Cade Otton Cade Otton Blanked in Week 1 win
Sun, Sep 7, 2025, 8:08 PM
Otton failed to bring in any of his three targets in the Buccaneers' 23-20 win over the Falcons on Sunday.
Analysis: After managing to head into the weekend without an injury designation following weeks of dealing with leg and groin issues, Otton wasn't able to get on the stat sheet for the first time since Week 2 of last season. Despite the blanking Sunday, Otton will naturally make a much bigger impact on the stat sheet in the majority of games this season, potentially beginning with a Week 2 road showdown against the Texans on Monday night, Sept. 15. |
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Emeka Egbuka Emeka Egbuka Commemorates debut with two TDs
Sun, Sep 7, 2025, 5:11 PM
Egbuka brought in four of six targets for 67 yards and two touchdowns in the Buccaneers' 23-20 win over the Falcons on Sunday. He also rushed once for nine yards.
Analysis: The rookie first-round pick had been ascendant since he first stepped on a Buccaneers practice field this offseason, and Egbuka delivered handsomely in his first career regular-season contest. The Ohio State product first struck from 30-yards out just past the midway point of the second quarter, and he subsequently added what would turn out to be a game-winning 25-yard scoring grab with just under a minute remaining. The poise and polish that Egbuka has repeatedly been commended for was on display on his way to a team-leading yardage total, and he'll be in line to play another significant role during a Week 2 marquee interconference road matchup against the Texans on Monday night, Sept. 15. |
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