October 31 Updates

Evan Deckers could be close to reclaiming his job as the Buccaneers' long-snapper.

On Thursday, the Buccaneers opened up a 21-day window for Deckers, who is on injured reserve, to practice with the team without counting against the 53-man roster limit. Deckers can be activated at any point during those three weeks, as he has already missed five games, one more than the minimum required before a player can return from I.R.

Deckers suffered a hamstring injury against the Denver Broncos in Week Three while covering a punt. He was in just his third game as the Bucs' long-snapper after winning a training camp battle with the team's incumbent snapper, Zach Triner. When Deckers went to injured reserve, the Bucs brought Triner back to handle snapping duties again.

Deckers split his college career between Massachusetts (2018-21) and Duke (2022), appearing in 53 total games and snapping for 218 placekicks and 272 punts. He first signed with the Bucs as an undrafted free agent in the spring of 2023 but was not able to unseat Triner as a rookie.

CLICK HERE for a full list of the Buccaneers' roster transactions this season.

October 25 Updates

Bucky Irving, the Buccaneers' exciting rookie running back, did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday of Week Eight due to a toe injury. However, he returned to the practice field on Friday and Head Coach Todd Bowles expressed optimism about him being in play against the Falcons on Sunday.

"Yes, he is," said Bowles. "Barring anything happening, he should be okay."

Bowles said Irving's injury was not specifically turf toe but rather an issue he has had to deal with since before he got to the NFL.

"It's a toe injury, it's been bothering him," said Bowles. "He had it in college. It's something he's been having to deal with his whole life."

Irving leads the Buccaneers with 351 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. He, Rachaad White and Sean Tucker have powered a Tampa Bay rushing attack that has ripped off 526 yards over the team's last three outings.

Bowles did reveal that wide receiver Mike Evans, defensive lineman Greg Gaines and safety Tykee Smith have all been ruled out for Sunday's game.

CLICK HERE for a look at some Buccaneers players who could be key to Sunday's outcome.

October 24 Updates

The tallest task for the Buccaneers in Week Eight as they prepare for a rematch with the Falcons is figuring out how to replace the production in the passing attack usually provided by Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. Godwin suffered a season-ending ankle injury on Monday night against Baltimore, two quarters after Evans had been knocked out with a hamstring ailment expected to sideline him until the bye week.

One option is more targets for veteran wide receiver Sterling Shepard, the long-time Giant who has 380 career NFL receptions. The other four receivers who could be active for the Buccaneers on Sunday against Atlanta – Trey Palmer, Jalen McMillan, Ryan Miller and, if he's activated from injured reserve, Rakim Jarrett – have a combined 55 NFL catches.

Shepard didn't join the Buccaneers until June, but he arrived with a built-in connection to quarterback Baker Mayfield. The two were teammates at Oklahoma in 2015 and formed a prolific pair, as Shepard had the best year of his college tenure with 86 catches for 1,288 yards and 11 touchdowns.

"There's obviously a connection there," said Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen. "They're really close; they're friends. They go over the plays at night. They talk through things. I do believe those two guys will have fun on Sunday playing together."

But what makes Coen confident that Shepard can produce as a more highly-targeted player in the absence of Evans and Godwin is that Shepard has already been getting open on plays in which Mayfield wasn't looking his way.

"If you really look at a lot of Shep's routes that he maybe even hasn't been targeted on or been the primary on, he's won on quite a few routes, even dating back to the first Atlanta game," said Coen. "He ran some really good routes that he just didn't get the ball on. That also happened the other night [against Baltimore]; he ran some really good routes he just wasn't maybe the primary or secondary read on some things. Well now he's going to be. So he'll probably just get naturally some more 'opps' with the situation at hand."

CLICK HERE for a detailed preview of Sunday's game against the Falcons.

October 23 Updates

The Buccaneers will wear their Creamsicle uniforms this Sunday against the Falcons, and orange is taking over the town. Raymond James Stadium will be tricked out in the Creamsicle colors and the flags flying outside the nearby AdventHealth Training Center have been switched out with ones bearing the colors and logo the Bucs wore from 1976 through 1996.

This is the second year in a row that the Buccaneers have brought back their Creamsicle look for a game during the regular season, after roughly a decade of not being able to do so because of NFL helmet restrictions. The return of the orange and white gear stirs up different memories for different people, and for Head Coach Todd Bowles, the first image that comes to his mind is a certain iconic linebacker from the '70s and '80s who hails from his hometown of Elizabeth, New Jersey.

"For me, it's Richard Wood," said Bowles. "It was always great to see him, Doug Williams, Jimmie Giles, Kevin House, you name it. They had a ton of players back then [and] it was one of the greatest uniforms back then. It looks good to see."

Bowles played high school football in Elizabeth a decade after Wood did, and both ended up in the NFL. Bowles referred to Wood as one of his "idols" on Wednesday. Wood was drafted by the Jets in 1975 but then traded the next year to the Buccaneers to play under his college coach from USC, John McKay. Over the course of nine seasons in Tampa, Wood took on the nickname of "Batman" based on his love of the character, and he would draw the Batman symbol on the tape he wrapped around his hands. Bowles entered the league in 1986 as an undrafted free agent with Washington, for whom he played seven of his eight NFL seasons.

Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield didn't have any connection with the Buccaneers before signing with the team in 2023, but he has embraced the throwback uniforms just as he's embraced the Bay area over the past two seasons.

"I think it's really fun," said Mayfield. "I love the Creamsicle unis. Maybe we should wear them more often? I don't know, it's not my choice, not my decision, but I like it a lot. It's just fun. You see all the old-school gear, the fans that have been fans for decades and still have their old stuff, the retro stuff. It makes it a fun and exciting week for us."

CLICK HERE for some top storylines surrounding this year's Creamsicle game.

October 22 Updates

There was nothing surprising about the updates that Buccaneers Head Coach Todd Bowles provided about his top two receivers late on Tuesday afternoon, but there was nothing particularly encouraging about it either.

Chris Godwin, who suffered a dislocated ankle on the final drive of the Bucs' loss to Baltimore on Monday night, is likely done for 2024. And Mike Evans, who aggravated an existing hamstring injury in the second quarter, may not be back until after the team's Week 11 bye.

"[Godwin] will be undergoing surgery very soon," said Bowles. "He'll probably be out for the year. There's a chance, if we make a late playoff run, that he could be back but he's undergoing surgery and he's going to be out."

Bowles said Godwin's dislocation, which occurred on what may be judged a hip-drop tackle by Roquan Smith – a play that was banned this past offseason – caused some other damage in the joint.

"There was a little more damage than that, but I'm not a medical person so I couldn't sit here and begin to tell you the things that they told me," said the coach. "I just know that it was serious."

Evans was somewhat limited by his hamstring injury in the Buccaneers' Week Six win at New Orleans but he came out firing against the Ravens, catching a 25-yard touchdown pass to cap the first possession of the game. It was the 100th touchdown reception of his career, making him one of just 11 players in NFL history to hit that mark. However, it was on another potential scoring grab a little later in the half that he suffered his injury. The most likely prognosis, according to Bowles, is that Evans will miss at least the next three games.

"At this point, we're probably expecting after the Bye Week," said Bowles. "He tweaked it pretty good when he fell on it on that play. It's moderate, but it's hurting pretty good right now. We'll probably say after the Bye Week, hopefully."

The Buccaneers will move forward with rookie Jalen McMillan, second-year player Trey Palmer and offseason veteran addition Sterling Shepard. Rookie wideout Kameron Johnson just went on injured reserve on Monday and thus will also be out until at least the bye week. Second-year receiver Rakim Jarrett is in his 21-day window to return from injured reserve and the Bucs also have young receivers Ryan Miller and Tanner Knue on the practice squad. As always, the team's personnel department will look into options from outside the Bucs' current roster, but the current plan is to ride the players already in the building.

"We've looked outside the building, but to get a true No. 1 in here, you have to make some massive trades and give up quite a bit," said Bowles. "That's not where we are at this point. We feel comfortable with the guys in the building. They're probably not of name status of Mike or Chris, or as accomplished right now, but that doesn't mean they can't play. We'll alter some things. Jarrett will be back this week – we'll look at him in practice, as well – we'll make a decision off of that. But, to go out and get a guy to come in here and be a No. 1 and a dominant guy, it's probably going to cost you half your team. We feel comfortable with the guys we have in here now. We know what their skillsets are and we're going to go with them right now."

CLICK HERE to watch Coach Bowles' day-after-game press conference.

October 19 Updates

Wide receiver Mike Evans returned to the Bucs' practice field on Saturday after being held out the previous two days due to a hamstring ailment. He was later listed on the injury report with no game status designation.*

"He did some things today that were encouraging," said Bowles. "We'll see how the next two guys and we'll see how he feels Monday. He's questionable right now."

Evans was limited to a season-low 57% snap share on offense in the Bucs' win in New Orleans last Sunday. So far this season he has caught 25 passes for 310 yards and is tied for the NFL lead with five touchdown receptions.

Bowles also noted that second-year wideout Trey Palmer was good to go on Monday night against the visiting Ravens. Palmer has missed two games due to a concussion suffered against the Eagles in Week Four. Wide receiver Kameron Johnson has been ruled out for Monday's game, as have tight end Payne Durham and cornerback Jamel Dean.

CLICK HERE for a detailed preview of the Bucs-Ravens prime time showdown.

* An earlier version of this post indicated that Evans would be listed as questionable on the injury report.

October 18 Updates

For the first five games of the 2024 season, the Buccaneers had a two-man backfield, with Rachaad White starting and rookie Bucky Irving getting a significant piece of the action. Occasionally, they were on the field together in "21" packages.

It was working. The two combined for 182 yards from scrimmage in the season-opening win over Washington, 119 in Week Three against Denver, 139 in Week Four against Philadelphia and 122 in Week Five in Atlanta.

However, White missed the Buccaneers' most recent game in New Orleans with a foot injury, moving Irving into the starting spot with second-year man Sean Tucker as the complementary piece. And that really worked. The Buccaneers ran for 277 yards, the third-highest single-game total in franchise history, Tucker won NFC Offensive Player of the Week and the back tandem was responsible for 297 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns.

With White not expected to be sidelined for long – he has practiced in a limited fashion this week and the Buccaneers hope he can return on Monday night against Baltimore – Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen is in the enviable position of having three backs he believes can drive the offense, and the unenviable position of figuring out how to get them all involved. When asked earler in the week if he thought the Bucs might have a "three-headed monster" in their backfield, Head Coach Todd Bowles agreed that it was a possibility.

On Friday, Coen indicated that, if White does return to action on Monday, all three backs could get a look early in the game.

"No, you have to get all three of them a series early on," he said. "At the end of the day, that's what it's going to have to be, is all three of those guys are going to get a series and really kind of whoever is giving us the best opportunity. This is a game that we're going to need to break tackles and need to run violently so whoever is giving us that – we'll be able to ride that."

The committee backfield and "hot-hand" approach are anathema to the ears of fantasy football players, but the Bucs are concerned about the long-term viability of their backfield, with 12 weeks still to go in the regular season and hopefully a playoff run after that.

"I think this is a long season, right?" said Coen. "Obviously, Sean stepped up in a critical moment for us in a big game and displayed a lot of things that we have seen at practice but a lot of things that we haven't been able to see because of the not being able to tackle. He did a fantastic job of breaking tackles and running hard. This is a long season, we're going to need all three of those guys to really carry us for the rest of the season. All guys are going to play, they're going to get reps and at the end of the day, whoever is giving us the best opportunity to win throughout that game will probably get the majority of the carries. … [It's a] long year, [we] need all three of them to be at their best in order for us to continue that running success."

CLICK HERE to watch Coen's Friday press conference.

October 17 Updates

The Buccaneers ran 77 offensive plays in their blowout win over the Saints on Sunday, but wide receiver Mike Evans was only on the field for 44 of them, or 57% of the total. In the first five games of the season, Evans had participated in 79% of the offensive snaps.

Evans was not knocked out of the game by an injury but he did take longer breaks on the sideline than usual. On Thurday, Head Coach Todd Bowles relayed that the veteran receiver had aggravated what had been a "nagging" issue in one of his legs.

"He tweaked his leg," said Bowles. "He didn't practice today but he's getting better. We'll see how the week goes."

The Buccaneers will practice again on Friday and Saturday in preparation for their Monday night matchup with the Baltimore Ravens at Raymond James Stadium. The long week gives Evans a bit more time to get ready for game action.

Bowles also indicated that wide receiver Trey Palmer, who has missed two games since sustaining a concussion during the Week Four win over Philadelphia, is trending towards returning to action on Monday. Palmer still needs to pass some tests to clear the NFL's concussion protocol and be eligible to play.

CLICK HERE for more on the status of another Bucs receiver, Rakim Jarrett.

October 11 Updates

The Buccaneers may have some key reinforcements on Sunday when they take on the Saints in the Superdome seeking their first win against an NFC South opponent. Defensive lineman Calijah Kancey is expected to make his 2024 season debut after recovering from a practice-field calf injury. Right tackle Luke Goedeke has finally cleared the concussion protocol after missing the last four games and All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr., who has also missed those same four games due to a foot injury, ramped up his participation on the practice field this week.

"Kancey was full [participation in practice], so he'll play," said Head Coach Todd Bowles on Friday. "Winfield was limited; he did a lot of things and that will probably be a game-time decision but he's very close if he doesn't play. Hopefully he can. Goedeke passed his test so he's trending forward that way."

As of Friday, Goedeke looks like the surer bet to play between him and Winfield. Like Kancey, Goedeke has practiced without limitations this week while Winfield has been listed as a limited participant.

"He's trending that way," said Bowles of Goedeke returning to action on Sunday. "He had a good week of practice. Barring any setbacks he should be scheduled to play. He looks good. Obviously you can't tell until the game because you only can do so much in practice. But he looks fresh, he looks healthy, so he's ready to go."

CLICK HERE for a preview of Sunday's showdown with the Saints in the Superdome.

October 9 Updates

With Hurricane Milton bearing down on the Gulf Coast of Florida and the Tampa Bay area expecting a powerful hit, the Buccaneers elected to depart early for Sunday's game in New Orleans. The team used two planes to fly players, coaches, staff and their families and pets to New Orleans on Tuesday morning and is now proceeding with something close to a normal practice and meeting schedule.

Head Coach Todd Bowles spoke to the media via Zoom following the team's first practice on Wednesday, which was held at Tulane University. The key to making the trip work and finding a way to focus on football was to bring the families and pets along.

"I think overall, everything went smoothly," said Bowles. "We got the team out, we got their families out, we got their pets out and everything else. Family is the most important thing right now. You can replace material things and you want everybody to be okay and you hope everybody evacuated; if not hunkered down safely. Family is the most important thing. If you can get your family out and keep them safe, everything else can be replaced."

Bowles and the rest of the Buccaneers understand that most Bay area residents are currently focused on other things as Milton begins its landfall. As for the Bucs, they needed to find a way to prepare for Sunday.

"The task at hand, most of them have their families here with them, so that's a big relief for them and they're able to focus on football," said Bowles. "We understand that the things that we do in football are a small mechanism in the game of life and the Hurricane is going to affect people. But we're focused and we're trying to get ready for a game. If everybody's here and there families are here, that makes it a lot easier."

CLICK HERE to hear Coach Bowles' thoughts after practice on Wednesday.

October 7 Updates

With Hurricane Milton expected to make landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast midweek, the Buccaneers are taking their Week Six operations on the road.

The Buccaneers announced on Monday that they were departing Tampa on Tuesday morning and heading to New Orleans, where they will face the Saints on Sunday. The team will conduct the remainder of its preparations for that game at a site in New Orleans. The Bucs typically practice in the mornings on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

The Bucs had their preparations for a Week Four home game against Philadelphia mildly interrupted by Hurricane Helene, but that storm made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida. Hurricane Melton, in contrast, is moving from west to east and is currently projected to reach Category 4 status before impacting the west coast of the state.

October 1 Updates

Former Buccaneer (and yes, Patriot) great returned to Raymond James Stadium in a new capacity last Sunday, as he called his first game in Tampa Bay as a color analyst on Fox's lead broadcasting team. Prior to the game, Brady traveled from the booth down to the field and caught up with a number of his old Buccaneer acquaintances, from Jason Licht to Mike Evans to Lavonte David.

Brady also took some time to talk with Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen, who was not with the team during the quarterback's three seasons in Tampa. Coen and Brady hadn't crossed paths as professionals, but this actually wasn't the first time they had met. That was 17 years ago, when Brady was in the midst of one the greatest seasons of his career. Coen was 22 at the time and a quarterback at the University of Massachusetts, not coincidentally wearning jersey #12.

"I met him in 2007," said Coen. "They played a playoff game against Jacksonville, won the game. I was there at the game and I was with the running backs coach for the Patriots' son, Ivan Fears's son. He took me downstairs; I got to shake his hand. There's no shot he remembered that, but I did, obviously. I grew up going to Patriots games. That's where I grew up. I grew up going to Patriots training camp at Bryant College. I emulated him my entire life. I wore 12 because of him. So that was a really cool moment [on Sunday] to be able to pick his brain, just talk football with him. That was probably something I'll never forget."

Brady threw a career-high 50 touchdown passes in the 2007 season; meanwhile, Coen was putting up the sort of numbers that would eventually land him in the UMass Athletics Hall of Fame. Both have since moved on to new pursuits and both in the very early stages of their current jobs. For Coen, to have perhaps his best game as a play-caller since joining the Buccaneers, as his offense racked up 445 yards and 33 points in a lopsided victory, with Brady in attendance was special.

"That helped," he said with a laugh. "That helps when you're successful and you have a good game. One of the guys you grew up idolizing happened to be a part of that game, from calling it, from that standpoint. That was pretty cool day that, like I said, I'll never forget."

CLICK HERE to hear from Baker Mayfield about working with Liam Coen.