The Buccaneers’ first injury report of Week 6 served up a familiar message: the win column finally changed, but the health picture is still messy.
Tampa Bay comes home to face the 3-2 Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium, and the Bucs will have to navigate that matchup as 2.5-point underdogs. The challenge is obvious: slow down Aaron Rodgers, who has thrown three touchdown passes in each of his last three games.
The good news for Tampa is that last Thursday’s road upset of the Dallas Cowboys finally got the season moving. The Bucs are now 1.5 games back of the 2-2 Carolina Panthers in the NFC South, and with three winnable games coming up, there’s at least a path to putting a run together.
But there’s no escaping the injury list right now.
Baker Mayfield remains the biggest name to watch. He did not practice Wednesday while continuing to recover from the dislocated thumb he suffered in Week 3. After the Dallas win, head coach Todd Bowles was quick to announce that Jalon Daniels would likely earn one more start.
Safety Antoine Winfield Jr. is expected to miss 2-4 weeks with a rib injury. He has not been placed on IR, but it’s hard to see him lining up this week.
Sean Tucker also sat out practice with a quad injury. Rookie cornerback Ayden Garnes did not practice because of an ankle injury, while wide receiver Chris Godwin was also listed as a non-participant, though that was simply a veteran rest day.
There were a few encouraging signs, too. Linebacker SirVocea Dennis was limited as he works back from ankle and foot injuries that kept him out against Dallas.
Cornerback Benjamin Morrison was limited as well after missing two straight games with a quad injury. Given his injury history, the Bucs are expected to be careful with him.
Wide receiver David Sills V was a full participant, with his 21-day activation window from a hamstring injury still open.
Pittsburgh had its own mix of absences and limitations. Starting safety DeShon Elliott was limited because of a knee injury, while receivers Roman Wilson (finger) and Ben Skowronek (calf) both missed practice. So did defensive tackle Keeanu Benton, who is dealing with an ankle issue, and cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who is out with a wrist injury.
Former Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean was limited by an ankle injury, and running back Rico Dowdle was limited with a toe injury. Superstar edge rusher T.J.
Watt was also limited, though that was just a rest day. Defensive tackle Cam Heyward got the same treatment and had a full day off.
In Other News...
Buccaneers Just Sent A Loud Message About Their National Pull
The Buccaneers Thursday night matchup with the Cowboys did more than give Tampa Bay a national showcase. It helped underline how far the team has come in terms of national draw, with the game landing in a premium slot on Prime Video and feeding into a broader surge for the streaming package around Thursday Night Football.
Prime Videos early TNF numbers have been strong across the board, and the platform has seen its pregame and postgame coverage pick up, too. For the Buccaneers, that matters because games like this do not just shape the immediate conversation around the team, they also keep putting Tampa Bay in front of a bigger audience at a time when the leagues media landscape is shifting fast. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Finally Have Hope But One Concern Still Looms
A Week 5 upset of the Dallas Cowboys gave Tampa Bay its first win of the season and, at least for the moment, some breathing room around a slow start. The result also nudged the Buccaneers up in ESPNs NFL power rankings, a small but welcome sign that the season is not already slipping away.
The bigger question is still on the defensive side, where the Bucs have looked uneven from drive to drive. There have been some standout individual efforts, but the pass rush and linebacker play remain inconsistent enough to keep the unit from settling in, and that leaves one familiar concern hanging over a team trying to build on its first breakthrough. [Read more 🡒]
Chris Godwin Just Fueled Growing Bucs Optimism Around Jalon Daniels
When Baker Mayfield went down, the Buccaneers turned to undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels, and the offense at least found enough stability to grab its first win of the season in Week 5. For a team trying to stay in the NFC South race, that mattered almost as much as the result itself, because Tampa Bay suddenly has a quarterback situation that feels less like a crisis and more like a chance to keep building.
Chris Godwin has become one of the louder believers in Daniels, praising the rookies poise and the way he carries himself in the huddle. The veteran receiver also pointed to Daniels charisma and the kind of positive energy that can spread quickly through a locker room, a promising sign for a Buccaneers team staring at a stretch of games it can realistically use to climb right back into contention. [Read more 🡒]