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Tampa Bay Buccaneers News & Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/23/24

October 23rd, 2024 at 7:33pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: LS Matt Orzech
  • Waived: DL Jonathan Ford

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

The Bears should soon be getting some offensive reinforcement. Most notably, lineman Larry Borom returned to practice today after missing the first chunk of the season with an ankle injury. The former fifth-round pick has been a reliable swing OT for the Bears over the past three years, starting 23 of his 39 appearances. The team will also welcome back Travis Homer, who has been sidelined since Week 3 with a finger injury. The veteran RB may have a tough time cracking the rotation upon his return with D’Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, and Khalil Herbert currently leading the depth chart. The Bears will have 21 days to activate either of the two players to the 53-man roster.

Jordan Phillips was back at Cowboys practice today after landing on IR in mid-September. The defensive lineman’s injury wasn’t ever made particularly clear; the Cowboys claimed the player was favoring his previously repaired wrist, although the player later hinted that he was forced to the sideline because of conditioning. After more than a month on the shelf, the veteran will now get another look. The Cowboys acquired Phillips from the Giants back in August, and the veteran only got into about one fourth of his team’s defensive snaps before landing on IR. Phillips appeared in 26 games for the Bills between 2022 and 2023, collecting 35 tackles and four sacks.

Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin To Undergo Ankle Surgery

October 23rd, 2024 at 10:56am CST by Adam La Rose

OCTOBER 23: Godwin will undergo surgery today to repair his dislocated ankle, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. While the veteran receiver is not expected to return this season, a playoff run by the Buccaneers could give Godwin an outside chance at playing after his recovery.

OCTOBER 22: Chris Godwin‘s recovery process will begin soon. The Buccaneers wideout is scheduled to undergo ankle surgery this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Godwin was injured in the final minute of Tampa Bay’s loss on Monday, and after the game head coach Todd Bowles indicated the team’s fear that a dislocated ankle had been suffered. Evaluation will take place today to determine the full extent of the damage, per Rapoport, whose report does indeed deem Godwin’s injury to be a dislocation. He is not expected to return this season.

Bowles has since said Godwin is “probably” out for the year, though the third-year Bucs HC added (via Fox Sports’ Greg Auman) a return late in the playoffs — should the team be left standing by that point — is not out of the question entirely.

While Godwin is expected to make a full recovery in time for the 2025 campaign, his situation marks a major blow to Tampa Bay’s offense. Especially in the event Mike Evans – whose hamstring injury forced him to leave last night’s contest early – misses considerable time, Godwin would have been in line to handle a heavy workload moving forward. The 28-year-old sits second in the NFL in receiving yards (576), an illustration of how impactful he is for the Bucs and how his 2024 campaign was shaping up.

Now, Godwin’s attention will turn to rehab in advance of a trip free agency. The Pro Bowler’s value was set to reach a notable height if his production had continued through the rest of the season, but his health status will now be a factor which could hinder his market. Shortly after being franchise-tagged for a second straight year in 2022, he inked a three-year, $60MM pact. That deal carried risk given the ACL tear he had suffered the previous season, but the Penn State product managed to top 1,000 yards in 2022 and ’23. After being well on his way to reaching that for a fifth year (and fourth in a row), his future is uncertain.

To little surprise (based on how the Buccaneers have operated with respect to many of their top players), it was reported in the spring no extension talks have taken place with Godwin. That will no doubt remain the case now given his injury, although he could of course remain firmly in the team’s plans for 2025 and beyond. With Godwin out of the picture – and, potentially, Evans as well – it will be interesting to see if the 4-3 Bucs are active ahead of the trade deadline in terms of pursuing a wideout addition.

Buccaneers Waive P Jake Camarda

October 22nd, 2024 at 7:51pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Buccaneers have waived punter Jake Camarda, a 2022 fifth-round pick who failed to live up to expectations in his first three seasons.

Camarda played in Tampa Bay’s first four games this season, averaging just 36.5 net yards per punt, the second-lowest in the NFL. The Buccaneers then turned to former Bears punter Trenton Gill, elevating him from the practice squad for their last three games. After Monday night’s loss to the Ravens, Gil was all out of elevations, forcing Tampa Bay to promote him to the 53-man roster if they wanted him to continue punting duties.

Camarda was a highly-touted punting prospect out of the University of Georgia, where he earned first-team All-SEC honors and was a finalist for the Ray Guy Award given out to the best punter in college football. Camarda was the second punter drafted in 2022, selected with the 133rd overall pick in the fourth round just three spots after the Ravens drafted Penn State punter Jordan Stout.

The former Bulldog did not struggle with power in the NFL, ranking fifth in gross yards per punt in each of his first two seasons. However, his 41.4 net yards per punt in 2022 and 41.2 in 2023 ranked 12th and 20th, respectively, indicating an issue with his ability to minimize return yardage.

Those numbers dropped precipitously in 2024, with Camarda averaging just 45.3 gross yards per punt, the fourth-lowest in the league. Gill, however, ranks dead-last with 41.3 gross yards per punt, though his 38.3 net yards per punt exceeds Camarda’s.

Camarda leaves the Buccaneers as the franchise’s leading punter at 49.0 gross yards per punt, per The Athletic’s Greg Auman.

Buccaneers Not Expected To Place Mike Evans On IR; WR To Miss Time

October 22nd, 2024 at 2:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

Monday night did not go well for the Buccaneers, who are now facing an immediate future without both their long-running wide receivers. Chris Godwin is set to undergo ankle surgery, and Mike Evans likely needs time off as well.

While not in jeopardy of missing the rest of the season like his longtime sidekick, Evans is expected to miss time. Entering the game with a hamstring injury, Evans aggravated it during Tampa Bay’s loss to Baltimore. The Bucs are not planning to place Evans on IR, per the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud, but he should be considered likely to miss three games.

[RELATED: Bucs Place CB Jamel Dean On IR]

Todd Bowles has since said he does not expect Evans back until after the bye, even while the third-year Tampa Bay HC labeled the injury “moderate.” Bucs’ bye comes in Week 11. This would give Evans a month off without needing to miss the required four games.

Evans, 31, has proven remarkably durable during his career; he has missed more than two games in a season on just one occasion (2019). Even then, the impact wideout only missed three games. With Godwin also out, the Bucs will face a considerable challenge after a solid start to the season. Godwin sustained a dislocated ankle Monday night and is set for surgery; he is not expected back this season. While that deals a blow to the Bucs, they would be in rarely explored territory if both Evans and Godwin were out.

For the most part, the Bucs have been able to rely on at least one of these two since Godwin moved into the starting lineup during the 2019 season. Both Evans and Godwin did miss the 2019 season’s final two games, and Godwin’s ACL tear in Week 15 of the 2021 season preceded Evans’ one-game absence in Week 16 that year. The team still had Antonio Brown and Rob Gronkowski at that point, however. Brown’s final completed game as a Buccaneer involved neither Evans nor Godwin. Beyond that, one member of the Bucs’ homegrown pair has been available.

Evans missed two practices last week and logged a limited session to close out the Bucs’ Ravens preparation stretch, but he did not make it through the Baltimore contest. This calls into question the team’s risk management, as hamstring injuries are known to linger. The Bucs face the Falcons, Chiefs and 49ers over the next three weeks. The Atlanta matchup will be critical, as Tampa Bay lost a recent shootout to the Falcons and the rivals are tied atop the NFC South at 4-3.

Evans, 31, re-signed on a frontloaded two-year, $41MM deal just before free agency. While Godwin was off to the better start in sitting second in the NFL in receiving yardage, Evans is still playing well. Last year’s receiving TDs leader stands atop the NFL, with six, this season. Evans has caught 26 passes for 335 yards. Evans is famously 10-for-10 in 1,000-yard seasons. While that is not the NFL record for 1,000-yard slates, no one is close to Evans in terms of four-digit seasons out of the gate. This will hinder a quest for No. 11.

The absences of he and Godwin will certainly present a challenge for Baker Mayfield, who has started well after re-signing on a three-year, $100MM deal a day before the legal tampering period opened. The Bucs used a third-round pick on Jalen McMillan and have 2023 sixth-rounder Trey Palmer as a depth piece as well. Ex-Mayfield college teammate Sterling Shepard, however, leads all non-Evans and Godwin Bucs wideouts with 93 receiving yards. Shepard, who did not factor into the 2023 Giants’ offense prominently, will soon be in for a throwback role.

Buccaneers Fear Chris Godwin Sustained Dislocated Ankle

October 21st, 2024 at 10:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the Buccaneers attempted to crawl back into their Monday-night matchup with the Ravens, they lost one of their long-running wide receiver starters. The team fears Chris Godwin suffered a serious injury.

The team is concerned Godwin suffered a dislocated ankle, Todd Bowles said postgame. This will stall a bounce-back season for the eighth-year veteran, who has an extensive injury history. Godwin exited the field with an air cast on his injured ankle.

This would be both a significant blow to Tampa Bay’s offense and a poorly timed setback for Mike Evans‘ longtime sidekick. Godwin is in the final season of a three-year, $60MM deal. The former Super Bowl starter has four 1,000-yard seasons on his resume, but he was on pace for a career-best total this year. Godwin caught three passes for 65 yards in the Bucs’ loss tonight, elevating him to 576 on the season. Only Ja’Marr Chase (620) has that beat.

The Bucs gave Evans a third contract this offseason, moving their longtime No. 1 target back in front of Godwin, who is playing on a deal he signed after the team franchise-tagged him for a second straight year. Tampa Bay tagged Godwin in 2021 and ’22; the second stint on the tag did not last long, leading to the $20MM-per-year agreement days later. While Godwin has done quite well for himself as a pro, the former third-round pick was poised to be a high-end free agent at season’s end.

Tampa Bay has established a pattern of letting free agents play out their contract years and convincing them to re-sign. The team went heavy in this direction this year, re-signing Evans, Baker Mayfield and Lavonte David — before tagging and extending Antoine Winfield Jr. The team has also taken this route with cornerbacks Jamel Dean and Carlton Davis, along with center Ryan Jensen. The recently retired center had secured a third contract when he suffered what turned out to be a career-ending knee injury; Godwin’s value for a third contract will likely take a hit as a result of Monday’s development.

In May, an update emerged indicating the Bucs, true to form, had not discussed an extension with Godwin. The productive WR had suffered a torn ACL late in the 2021 season, leaving the team shorthanded (especially after Antonio Brown‘s subsequent meltdown). Godwin, 28, did re-emerge with 1,000-yard slates in 2022 and ’23; though, he was not quite in top form in either year. Godwin posted 1,023 yards in Tom Brady‘s 2022 finale and 1,024 in Mayfield’s Tampa debut, combining for just five touchdowns in that span. He had already matched that total entering Monday night.

The Bucs have trotted out Evans and Godwin together for eight years now. While the younger receiver did not move directly into the starting lineup as a rookie, he soon became Evans’ top complementary piece, helping the likes of Mayfield, Brady and Jameis Winston. Mayfield’s second Tampa Bay arsenal will take a hit as a result, raising the stakes for the likes of Trey Palmer and third-round rookie Jalen McMillan.

Although Brown interfered with Godwin’s unquestioned role as Tampa Bay’s WR2 for a short spell, the Bucs’ pass-game hierarchy has run through Evans and Godwin for many years now. Godwin sits behind only Evans on the team’s all-time receiving list. The Penn State alum’s 7,266 yards are more than 2,000 clear of third-place Mark Carrier, illustrating the value the Bucs have coaxed from their top WRs. If Godwin is unable to come back, this will be a test to the team’s receiver development — both this season and potentially into 2025, considering the veteran’s contract status.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/21/24

October 21st, 2024 at 7:17pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Green Bay Packers

  • Activated off IR: DL Jonathan Ford
  • Released: LS Matt Orzech

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

New York Jets

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, today’s moves were purely procedural. After returning to practice earlier this month, Jonathan Ford was nearing the end of his activation window. To avoid the defensive lineman landing on season-ending injured reserve, the Packers activated the former seventh-round pick to the active roster. That meant the Packers needed to carve out a spot, and long snapper Matt Orzech was the temporary casualty. However, Silverstein says Orzech will land back on the roster later this week following more roster machinations.

Meanwhile, the Giants added Armon Watts to the active roster following the lineman’s stint on the team’s practice squad. It sounds like rival teams may have forced the Giants hand. As ESPN’s Jordan Raanan notes, other teams expressed interest in the former Bears starter, forcing the Giants to secure Watts services now (vs. continuing to stash him on the taxi squad).

Elsewhere in New York, Haason Reddick was officially activated from the Did Not Report list today. Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, the Jets now have a two-game roster exemption to officially add the pass-rusher to the 53-man roster.

Buccaneers Place CB Jamel Dean, WR Kameron Johnson On IR

October 21st, 2024 at 3:51pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Bucs’ secondary will be shorthanded for tonight’s game and a notable stretch beyond that as well. Cornerback Jamel Dean was placed on injured reserve Monday, per a team announcement.

Dean is dealing with a hamstring injury, and a multi-week absence was recently floated as a possibility. Today’s move ensures he will be sidelined for at least the next four games, something which will be acutely felt at the cornerback spot for Tampa Bay. Dean has remained a full-time starter in 2024, his sixth season with the Buccaneers.

The former third-rounder saw a notable jump in playing time during the 2020 campaign, and since then he has been a staple in the secondary. Especially with Carlton Davis being traded away in the offseason, Dean’s presence has been key this year. He has amassed 43 tackles and four pass deflections while not allowing a touchdown in coverage. With Tampa Bay ranking 29th against the pass this year, losing a first-team corner contributor will hinder the team’s ability to improve over the short term.

2022 fifth-rounder Zyon McCollum has handed starting duties this season, and he will be counted on to remain a central figure on Tampa’s defense moving forward. Tykee Smith has had a strong rookie campaign in the slot, but it will be interesting to see who takes over for Dean on the perimeter. Free agent addition Bryce Hall is uncertain to return this season after he suffered a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle in Week 2; with Dean now out of the picture, the team’s CB depth will be tested.

In addition to Dean, undrafted rookie receiver Kameron Johnson has been moved to IR. The latter has made four appearances this season, seeing rotational usage on offense and special teams. Bringing him back into the fold, just as in Dean’s case, will require using an in-season activation.

On that note, the Bucs activated defensive end Earnest Brown from IR in time for tonight’s contest against the Ravens. Brown had his 21-day practice window opened on October 9, so the team had time to wait with respect to activating him, but he will now be positioned to make his season debut. Tampa Bay has six IR activations remaining.

NFL Injury Updates: Texans, Carr, Dean, Lowe

October 18th, 2024 at 7:20pm CST by Ely Allen

The Texans defense played without rookie starting cornerback Kamari Lassiter last weekend, and they may be without him for a bit longer. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Lassiter is expected to miss a few more games due to the scapula injury he suffered against the Bills nearly two weeks ago.

Wilson emphasized that Lassiter is improving and that he is expected to make a full recovery with no surgery, but for now, he’s a ways off from returning to the field. Another defensive back who is expected to miss his second straight game is veteran safety Jimmie Ward, who sat out last week’s contest after aggravating a groin injury.

Lastly, undrafted rookie running back British Brooks, who was placed on injured reserve 10 days ago, has undergone successful knee surgery, per Wilson. The procedure to repair Brooks’ torn meniscus took place yesterday. He is expected to make a full recovery but isn’t expected to return this season. Brooks should be ready for organized team activities in the spring.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NFL:

  • After a promising 2-0 start, the Saints‘ 2024 campaign has taken a slide with five straight losses, partially due to the injury and absence of quarterback Derek Carr. Well, it appears that Carr will be out at least one more week. Per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Carr may be trying to come back by Week 8 to plays the Chargers, a team he’s very familiar with, but the team views the Week 9 trip to Carolina or the Week 10 matchup versus the Falcons as more likely return-dates for their quarterback. Head coach Dennis Allen echoed this sentiment, telling Matthew Paras of The Times-Picayune that he wasn’t sure whether or not Carr would play in Los Angeles but claiming that it was “very likely” that he’s back in time for the Panthers.
  • After leaving this past Sunday’s game in New Orleans early with a hamstring injury, Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean has not practiced this week. Greg Auman of FOX Sports believes that Dean is likely headed towards a multi-week absence. While a stint on IR may be in the cards, the Buccaneers haven’t gone that way just yet.
  • Patriots left tackle Vederian Lowe is another player who left this weekend’s games early. He underwent an MRI on Monday that confirmed the expected diagnosis of an ankle sprain. While Lowe has been downgraded to out for this weekend’s game in London, New England expects to see him back in the near future, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/17/24

October 17th, 2024 at 6:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

Thursday’s minor moves:

Denver Broncos 

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Watson could be claimed off waivers by any teams seeking backfield depth. If that does not take place, though, he will become a free agent. Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette reports a mutual interest exists for team and player to reunite via a practice squad deal provided it is possible. Watson, an undrafted rookie, has made only one appearance to date so he should have a strong chance of passing through waivers unclaimed.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/15/24

October 15th, 2024 at 9:16pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor moves in the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Nichols is reportedly out for the season, per the Cardinals, but Prater could still return after an additional four-game absence. He’s already missed two games so far with a left knee issue. The 40-year-old was a perfect six-for-six on field goal attempts this year while 10-for-10 on extra points.

The Browns lose an important depth lineman in Harris. Harris started games at left tackle and center as an injury replacement this year, but he’ll be out for at least the next four games with an ankle injury.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris reported that Abernathy will be out for a “significant time,” per D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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