Tampa Bay Buccaneers News

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Sean Tucker has been involved in the passing game at practice and in preseason action. Tucker has caught multiple swing passes in training camp and hauled in two targets for 11 yards in the preseason opener against the New York Jets. Although starters Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell did not play in that game, Tucker played all 21 snaps with the second team and ran 13 routes. With offensive coordinator Zac Robinson now in Tampa Bay, running backs will need to be involved in the passing game, as Bijan Robinson and Kyren Williams have been in his offense. While Tucker is clearly the RB3 on this team, potential goal-line work and handcuff value keep him fantasy-relevant this season.

Two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Vita Vea and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reached an agreement on Wednesday on a one-year contract extension for $30 million, which ties him to the team for two more seasons, sources told Adam Schefter of ESPN. Vea receives $6 million in new money this year. The two sides came together on a new deal before the start of the 2026 season in September after the 31-year-old interior defensive lineman requested a trade at the start of training camp. The Bucs made it clear that they had no plans to trade him, even with a handful of interested teams checking in on his availability. Vea's new-money value of $30 million ranks him fifth in average annual value in the league. The former 12th overall pick in 2018 from the University of Washington is not really a fantasy asset in IDP formats, but he has been a key run-stuffing cog for the Bucs defense in his eight years in the league. Vea had a career-high seven sacks in 2024 and followed it up with a 4.5-sack season and 34 total tackles in 17 starts in 2025.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton (undisclosed) is out of training camp practice again on Tuesday with an undisclosed injury, according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports. Auman does not think that Otton will be cleared to play with the rest of the starters in the second preseason game this Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs. The 27-year-old should be considered day-to-day for now. Otton caught a career-high-tying 59 passes on 81 targets for 572 yards and just one touchdown in 16 starts for the Bucs in 2025 in his fourth year in the NFL. The former fourth-rounder from the University of Washington could see a larger target share in 2026 if receiver Emeka Egbuka (toe) is not ready for the start of the regular season, although Otton still profiles as more of a touchdown-dependent, low-end TE2 in fantasy football leagues. Otton's career year came in 2024, when he caught 59 passes for 600 yards and four touchdowns on 87 targets to finish as the TE11 in half-PPR formats. There might be more opportunities for spike weeks this year, though, with future Hall of Fame receiver Mike Evans no longer in town.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Kenny Gainwell has emerged as a potential sleeper to draft in fantasy football this year, and now, quarterback Baker Mayfield is singing his praises. "He's much more than a gadget guy," Mayfield said about Gainwell, who signed with the Bucs this offseason after a year in Pittsburgh. "I've just been completely overwhelmed with the amount of talent that he has." The veteran quarterback also made a point to shout out Gainwell for his versatility on offense, where he contributes as both a receiver and ball-carrier. The stats back up that claim, too, as Gainwell caught 73 passes for 486 receiving yards in Pittsburgh last season. The Bucs signed Gainwell to join a backfield that also features Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker. While Irving is the clear No. 1 running back here, we expect to see Gainwell get plenty of volume, similar to his role with the Steelers in 2025. In Pittsburgh, he handled 114 carries and 73 receptions (187 touches) while teammate Jaylen Warren had 211 carries and 40 catches (254 touches). When all was said and done, the two backs combined for 441 touches, but Warren only had 67 more than Gainwell. Don't be surprised if we see Gainwell support Irving in the same way he did with Warren, which could allow him to rank as a top-24 running back in fantasy football once again. For now, he ranks as the RB37 in RotoBaller's latest fantasy football draft rankings.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Jalen McMillan (knee) is back at practice on Tuesday, working in pads after missing almost two weeks with a sore knee. Head coach Todd Bowles had shared with the media on Monday that the third-year receiver was considered day-to-day, and with McMillan back in action a day later, he will look to pick back up where he left off in what had been reported as a solid start to training camp. Injuries have unfortunately become a major piece of McMillan's story, as he missed 13 games in 2025 after suffering a serious neck injury in the preseason, but when he's on the field, he's been a fantasy difference-maker, topping 14 half-PPR points in six of his last nine games. At RotoBaller's WR59, McMillan offers underrated value from the closing rounds of 2026 drafts. UPDATE: McMillan will not play in Saturday's preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers left tackle Tristan Wirfs (hamstring) returned to practice on Monday for the first time in training camp this summer, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. It is good news for Tampa's starting offensive line, but it remains to be seen if the Bucs have the 27-year-old play with the rest of the starters in Saturday's preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs. But barring a setback with his hamstring, the five-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro should be healthy and ready to go for Week 1 of the 2026 regular season. The former 13th overall pick in 2020 from the University of Iowa will once again be tasked with protecting quarterback Baker Mayfield's blind side in 2026 in his seventh year in the NFL. Wirfs is one of the best tackles in the league and has been a Pro Bowler in all but his rookie campaign.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said on Monday that his starters, including running back Bucky Irving, will dress and play in the team's second preseason game on Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs, according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports. Irving and the rest of the starting offensive unit were held out of the preseason opener on Friday against the New York Jets. The Bucs let Rachaad White walk in free agency in March, but they added pass-catching dynamo Kenny Gainwell to their backfield to replace him. The 23-year-old Irving should continue to be Tampa's go-to option on early downs and near the goal line, but Gainwell figures to eat into valuable pass-catching opportunities out of the backfield as the team tries to keep Irving healthy after he played in just 10 games in 2025. Irving had 1,514 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns in 17 games as a rookie in 2024. Because of the lack of clarity in Tampa's backfield between Irving and Gainwell in a new offensive scheme, fantasy managers should target Irving as more of a low-end RB2.

Updating a previous report, FOX Sports' Greg Auman reports that there is not a lot of clarity right now on Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka's toe injury and how long he will be sidelined. Head coach Todd Bowles said on Monday that Egbuka is "day-to-day, week-to-week," and when asked if the injury could impact his availability for Week 1 in 27 days, Bowles said he was "not sure at this time." The 23-year-old's status for the 2026 regular-season opener on Sept. 13 against the Cincinnati Bengals could be in question, which will make him a much riskier WR2 target in upcoming fantasy football drafts. Even if Egbuka is ready to go for Week 1, the Bucs could ease him back into a prominent role. Fellow wideout Jalen McMillan also has not practiced in nearly two weeks while nursing a knee injury in camp. If both Egbuka and McMillan are not 100% early on, Chris Godwin Jr. could be in line for a big target share, with rookie Ted Hurst and Tez Johnson potentially seeing the field more as well. Stay tuned for more updates on Egbuka's toe. He almost certainly will not play in the second preseason game this Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs with the starters.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said on Monday that wide receiver Jalen McMillan (knee) is considered day-to-day, according to Pewter Report. McMillan has been nursing a sore knee for almost two weeks, although it does not appear to be anything serious enough to put his availability in question for the start of the 2026 regular season. The 24-year-old was held out of the team's preseason opener against the New York Jets and will most likely not take part in this Saturday's preseason contest against the Kansas City Chiefs. When fully healthy, McMillan will likely operate as Tampa's WR3 in 2026 behind Emeka Egbuka (toe) and veteran Chris Godwin Jr. The former third-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft from the University of Washington only played in four games last year due to a serious neck injury that he suffered in the preseason. McMillan had 37 receptions on 58 targets for 461 yards and an impressive eight touchdowns in 13 games as a rookie for the Bucs. RotoBaller currently has McMillan ranked as the No. 59 overall fantasy WR.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said on Monday that quarterback Baker Mayfield will play in the team's second preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday, according to Jenna Laine of ESPN. It will be a deviation from last year, when Mayfield didn't see any preseason action at all. Mayfield made headlines at the start of training camp when he had some negative things to say about the organization after they didn't seem too interested in getting a contract extension done with him before the start of camp. The 31-year-old former first overall pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2018 from Oklahoma made the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons in Tampa in 2023 and 2024, but he battled through injuries for most of last year and saw his numbers regress, finishing with 3,693 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 17 starts to miss the postseason. In a new offense run by coordinator Zac Robinson, Mayfield and the Bucs are looking to bounce back, but it won't be easy without future Hall of Fame receiver Mike Evans. Going into his ninth year in the NFL, Mayfield's fantasy stock is down as a low-end QB2 with minimal upside.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Kenny Gainwell has the potential to be a value pick at his current ADP of 88.9. He's being selected in the eighth round of fantasy drafts as the 32nd running back off the board. The Bucs signed Gainwell to join a backfield that also features Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker. While Irving is the clear No. 1 running back here, we expect to see Gainwell get plenty of volume, similar to his role with the Steelers in 2025. In Pittsburgh, he handled 114 carries and 73 receptions (187 touches) while teammate Jaylen Warren had 211 carries and 40 catches (254 touches). When all was said and done, the two backs combined for 441 touches, but Warren only had 67 more than Gainwell. It doesn't seem like the Bucs signed Gainwell to be solely a third-down back. Yes, he'll fetch plenty of targets, but he'll also get some early-down and goal-line work to offer a change of scenery and keep Irving fresh. In this type of role last year, Gainwell ranked as the RB16 in PPR leagues. He's the RB37 in RotoBaller's redraft rankings for 2026, but we wouldn't be shocked to see him finish as a top-24 fantasy back in PPR leagues for the second year in a row.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (toe) is day-to-day after spraining his toe during practice, head coach Todd Bowles told PewterReport. Egbuka suffered the injury last week, missed the Bucs' preseason opener against the Jets, and remained absent from practice on Monday. It's never good to see a player have their preseason delayed by injury, but the fact that Egbuka is day-to-day suggests that he remains on track to play in Week 1 of the regular season. Tampa Bay will need him to be healthy for this season; they're relying on him even more now that Mike Evans has departed for San Francisco. The second-year receiver projects to handle a starting role alongside Chris Godwin Sr. The Bucs would surely like to see him replicate the first five weeks of his rookie season, during which he scored five touchdowns and ranked as the overall WR2 in PPR leagues. More consistency at quarterback could help him return to his top-12 receiver form in fantasy football. For now, though, he's the overall WR19 in RotoBaller's latest redraft rankings for 2026.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving exploded as the overall RB13 during his rookie season in 2024, but as a result of injuries and workload management, he played in just 10 games last year and fell to RB34 in PPR leagues. Rachaad White and Sean Tucker consistently ate into Irving's workload last year, and while White has since departed for Washington, Tucker remains in the backfield and has been joined by Kenny Gainwell. It's fair to wonder if the Buccaneers are going to use Gainwell similarly to how the Steelers did last year and adopt a true split backfield. In Pittsburgh, Gainwell handled 114 carries and 73 receptions (187 touches) while Jaylen Warren had 211 carries and 40 catches (254 touches). When all was said and done, the two backs combined for 441 touches, but Warren only had 67 more than Gainwell. Presumably, the Bucs will use Gainwell on a variety of downs -- not just third down -- in an attempt to keep Irving fresh for a full season after he missed seven games last year. With that being said, the addition of Gainwell to the backfield isn't necessarily bad news for Irving's fantasy stock. While we may not see him push for 20-25 touches as often, he'll theoretically stay fresh for a bigger portion of the season, perhaps allowing him to stay available for all 17 games. We're still confident in Irving's ability to serve as a mid-range RB2 for fantasy football managers this season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers second-year wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (toe) sprained his toe in a joint practice with the New York Jets, and after sitting out the team's preseason opener on Friday, Egbuka is still not in attendance as the team returns to practice on Monday. The Buccaneers remain optimistic that the injury will not affect Egbuka's regular season availability, and expectations are high for the 2025 first-round pick in an offense in search of a new identity following the departure of the franchise's all-time leading receiver, six-time Pro Bowler Mike Evans. Egbuka became the first player in NFL history to record 25 receptions, 400 yards, and five touchdowns in his first five career games, but his connection with quarterback Baker Mayfield trailed off later in the year as the Buccaneers' offense was derailed by injuries. Still working to reestablish chemistry with Mayfield in what should be the team's primary pass-catching role, any missed time is less than ideal, but as RotoBaller's WR19, Egbuka profiles as a high-ceiling WR2 who should only prove to become a better value if the injury pushes down his ADP.

After what was an electric start to his eighth season, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. suffered a severe ankle dislocation in October of 2024 and has played in only nine games since, battling through injury complications for most of his 2025 campaign. At 30 years old, further injury risk and a potential age-related decline are inescapable pieces of Godwin's overall profile, but with those elements thoroughly baked into his 2026 draft cost, he has the potential to be one of the most valuable picks in the later rounds of drafts. While the departure of six-time Pro Bowler Mike Evans has created an opportunity for 2025 first-round pick Emeka Egbuka to find more work on the outside, Godwin could still see heavy volume from the slot, and it should come as no surprise if their target totals wind up in a similar spot at the end of the year. At RotoBaller's WR44, if Godwin can manage anything close to a full-season slate, he should provide one of the safest floors from his range of the draft, and he provides tremendous roster construction value as a reliable fourth receiver.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Tez Johnson made enough noise early in camp to stay interesting, even after a groin strain interrupted his momentum. Johnson caught 28 passes for 322 yards and five touchdowns as a seventh-round rookie, and Tampa Bay's own camp coverage called him one of the early standouts this summer. Baker Mayfield has shown trust in him, and Johnson made plays both underneath and down the field before getting hurt. The issue is opportunity. Chris Godwin Jr., Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan still sit ahead of him in the receiver pecking order, with Johnson listed behind Godwin on the current depth chart. Mike Evans is gone, which clears one major name from last year's crowded room, but the groin strain interrupted Johnson's push for more work. RotoBaller has him at WR110 in half-PPR. That's deep-league territory, and it should be. Still, five touchdowns as a rookie and the way he opened camp make him worth keeping in mind late if the injury doesn't linger.

NFL teams such as the Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, and San Francisco 49ers have called the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to check on the availability of disgruntled defensive tackle Vita Vea, but the NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports that Tampa remains steadfast that they are not trading him. They have kept the lines of communication open on a potential new deal, but nothing is imminent. Vea has been holding in during training camp as he seeks a new deal before the start of the 2026 season, so he will unsurprisingly not be playing in the team's preseason opener on Friday night against the New York Jets. The 31-year-old is set to make around $18 million in 2026 in the final year of the four-year, $71 million deal he signed with the team in January of 2022. Vea was reportedly dealing with a back injury at the start of camp, but it's unlikely to be anything serious enough to keep him from suiting up for Week 1 in early September. Vea is a two-time Pro Bowler and has spent all eight of his NFL seasons with the Bucs after they took him 12th overall in the 2018 NFL draft out of the University of Washington.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers second-year wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (toe) underwent more testing on Friday with a specialist, and it was confirmed that he has a sprained toe, but it's stable, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. The Buccaneers are "very optimistic" that Egbuka will be ready for the Week 1 regular-season opener in early September. The 23-year-old former 19th overall pick from Ohio State will not play in Friday's preseason opener against the New York Jets, and there's a very real possibility that he won't play at all in the preseason. Egbuka's role is destined to grow in Year 2, especially with veteran Mike Evans no longer in town, but Egbuka's toe injury should cast some doubt for fantasy managers in upcoming drafts when considering taking him as a WR2. He came out of the gates hot in his rookie campaign with five touchdowns and 445 receiving yards in his first five games before closing out the year with 493 receiving yards and just one TD in his final 12 contests. Egbuka's toe injury could make him a nice value pick in fantasy drafts as long as his toe injury doesn't have any kind of negative impact on his early-season form.

In a joint practice with the Jets on Wednesday, Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton had one of his most productive days of the summer, cluing in onlookers to the role he can serve in this Zac Robinson offense. Buccaneers staff writer Brianna Dix praised Otton for the presence he brings to all three levels of the field and his ability to uncover through savvy route-running and strong spatial understanding. Otton has never boasted the highest ceiling for fantasy, and even with the team's receiving core struck by injury in 2025, he caught only one touchdown in 16 games, but he provides enough of a weekly floor to keep him in the streaming conversation, having caught exactly 59 passes in each of the past two seasons. Otton is RotoBaller's TE28 and profiles as a no-frills TE2 in deeper leagues or a player who will likely provide viability off the waiver wire as injuries and bye weeks start piling up.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (toe) appears to have avoided a significant injury after leaving Wednesday's practice early. According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Egbuka is dealing with a toe issue that is considered minor. The second-year receiver limped off with athletic trainers and spent time being examined on the sideline before failing to return to practice. No timetable for his return has been reported yet. Egbuka is coming off an excellent rookie season, catching 63 passes for a team-high 938 yards and six touchdowns in 17 games. Tampa Bay has him settling into the Z receiver role this year after the departure of Mike Evans, so even a minor issue is worth tracking this close to the season. For now, the encouraging part is the early description of the injury. His practice participation over the next few days should tell us more about how much time, if any, he will miss.