The Buccaneers are heading into Thursday night with a mix of good news and bad news as they try to chase their first win of the season against the Cowboys.
The biggest boost is the return of Rueben Bain Jr. The Bucs’ top draft pick is set to be back after missing the past two games with an AC sprain, giving Tampa Bay a much-needed lift on defense.
Bain got off to a quiet start in his NFL career and still hasn’t recorded a sack, but the matchup offers a chance for him to make noise. Dallas has kept its offensive line together fairly well, though the source of pressure can come from the outside, and the Cowboys’ offense has been rolling after a shaky Week 1.
That makes life harder for a Tampa Bay team already dealing with injuries elsewhere. The Bucs are 0-4, and the offense will have to try to keep pace with a Dallas group that has scored 30 or more points in each of the last three weeks and is now 2-2. With Jalen McMillan out of the receiving room, backup quarterback Jalon Daniels and the Tampa offense face a steep challenge.
The defensive backfield, though, is still thin. Antoine Winfield Jr. and Benjamin Morrison are both out, and Winfield’s absence is especially significant after Todd Bowles said earlier this week that he suffered a fractured rib against the Green Bay Packers and will miss at least two weeks. That leaves Tampa trying to deal with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens without its top safety patrolling the back end.
There is at least one more encouraging note for the Buccaneers: Chase McLaughlin is healthy. That matters for a team that has leaned on him heavily.
In 2025, McLaughlin turned in what was described as perhaps the best kicking season in franchise history, going 32-for-38 on field goals and 11-for-12 from 50 yards and beyond. He also set the franchise record in Week 8 of last season with a 65-yard field goal against the Philadelphia Eagles, coming within three yards of the NFL mark set by Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Cam Little, who hit from 68 yards in November.
McLaughlin has opened this season just as cleanly, making all nine of his kicks overall and all three from 50-plus yards.
Tampa Bay and Dallas kick off Thursday at 8:15 p.m.
In Other News...
Buccaneers Already Have Two Tough Offseason Contract Decisions
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Through the first four games, though, neither has made the kind of case that usually leads to a quick extension. Diabys pass rush production has tailed off, while Mauch has had a rough return from injury in both the run game and protection. If those trends hold, Tampa Bay could be staring at two more obvious free-agent decisions next spring, and neither one looks simple right now. [Read more 🡒]
Todd Bowles Heat Is Rising But Bucs History Says Plenty Too
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Still, the Buccaneers own history matters here. Bowles is 35-37 in the regular season and 1-3 in the postseason since taking over in 2022, so there is real pressure around the program, but Tampa Bay ownership has not made a habit of cutting loose head coaches in the middle of a season. That track record makes any in-season move feel unlikely for now, even if the noise around Bowles keeps getting louder. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Face A Brutal Thursday Test With Early Pressure Mounting
Thursday night brings a tricky reset point for Tampa Bay, which heads into Week 5 still searching for its first win and doing it without starting quarterback Baker Mayfield. The spotlight is on the kind of primetime matchup that can either steady a season or deepen the early damage, and the Buccaneers are walking into a Dallas team that will be eager to respond in front of its own crowd.
For Tampa Bay, the challenge is not just surviving the short week but finding enough stability to hang around against a Cowboys team that needs better defense while counting on its offense to set the tone at home. The matchup feels like a steep ask already, and the expectation around it is leaning heavily toward Dallas taking control by a wide margin. [Read more 🡒]