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Tampa Bay Buccaneers News & Rumors

Buccaneers Activate DB Logan Ryan From IR

December 5th, 2022 at 5:59pm CST by Ben Levine

DECEMBER 5: Ryan is back on the Bucs’ active roster. The team moved the veteran defender back onto its 53-man roster Monday, representing its third injury activation this season. Five remain for Tampa Bay. Ryan has been out since going down in Week 4 with the foot ailment.

NOVEMBER 30: It sounds like the Buccaneers will soon be getting some reinforcement on defense. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter), Tampa Bay has designated defensive back Logan Ryan to return from injured reserve. The Buccaneers will now have three weeks to activate the veteran to the active roster.

Ryan suffered a foot injury back in October that ultimately required surgery. Prior to that, the Buccaneers were leaning on Ryan in their secondary. In his four games (two starts), the veteran appeared in more than half of Tampa Bay’s defensive snaps, with Ryan collecting nine tackles, one forced fumble, and one interception.

At the beginning of the year, Ryan generally took the field alongside safeties Mike Edwards and Antoine Winfield whenever the latter was moved to the slot in sub packages. However, whenever Ryan returns, he could end up seeing a different role. Winfield is dealing with an ankle injury that forced him out of Sunday’s loss, while cornerbacks Jamel Dean and Sean Murphy-Bunting are dealing with their own injuries.

Ryan’s versatility could end up coming in handy as the Buccaneers approach the final stretch of the season. The veteran made a name for himself as a cornerback in New England, and following four seasons and two championships with the Patriots, Ryan landed a lucrative contract from the Titans in 2017. He ended up playing out his deal in Tennessee, and when he joined the Giants in 2020, he decided to switch to safety. It’s been a bit since the 31-year-old played cornerback, but considering his more than 100 games of experience at the position, he could surely fill in if needed.

NFC South Notes: Panthers, Hayward, Wirfs

December 2nd, 2022 at 12:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Next year’s running back market stands to feature a glut of starter-caliber options. Even if the Giants and Raiders respectively keep Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs from hitting free agency, potential first-time free agents Miles Sanders, Tony Pollard, David Montgomery, Damien Harris, Devin Singletary and Alexander Mattison are unsigned through 2023. Ditto Kareem Hunt, who is expected to hit the market after the Browns held off on a deadline trade. Jeff Wilson and Jamaal Williams would also be intriguing second-go-round UFAs, but the Panthers have a player in a similar position.

D’Onta Foreman signed a one-year, $2MM deal to relocate from Charlotte to Nashville this offseason, and he has continued his Titans pace. Christian McCaffrey‘s replacement, who ended up being Derrick Henry‘s top fill-in last year, now has seven 100-yard games over his past 13. Teams are monitoring the former third-round pick’s status, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. The Panthers have Chuba Hubbard signed through 2024, and although they are likely to change coaching staffs come January, Foreman makes sense as a re-sign candidate. Despite being a 2017 draftee, he is just 26. And thanks to a lengthy hiatus that covered much of a three-year stretch from 2018-20, the ex-Texas Longhorn only has 366 career carries. That bodes well for more quality seasons being ahead.

Here is the latest from the NFC South:

  • Casey Hayward has been on IR since mid-October; he has been eligible to return for a bit now. But the Falcons cornerback is not a lock to come back this year, per AtlantaFalcons.com’s Scott Bair, who notes the 11th-year veteran underwent shoulder surgery after hitting the injured list. Hayward and the Saints’ Chris Harris are the NFL’s oldest active-roster cornerbacks, at 33, and the former represents a key defender for a team gunning for an unexpected division title. Hayward signed a two-year, $11MM deal to come over from Las Vegas. The Falcons have used second-year man Darren Hall in his place. Pro Football Focus does rank Hall, a fourth-round pick out of San Diego State, 35th overall among corners this season.
  • The Buccaneers are expected to be without Tristan Wirfs for a bit because of a high ankle sprain. While the team is hoping the All-Pro right tackle can return in three or four weeks, Fowler adds the third-year blocker could be facing a five- or six-week absence. Some ligament damage occurred, per Fowler, but Wirfs is not expected to need surgery. This timetable would put run up against the end of the regular season, though the Bucs have not placed Wirfs on IR yet.
  • Whereas Foreman’s free agency stock is rising, Baker Mayfield‘s keeps tumbling. Steve Wilks announced Sam Darnold will start in Week 14 against the Seahawks but stopped short of declaring Mayfield the backup, Joe Person of The Athletic tweets. Mayfield’s QB2 status depends on P.J. Walker‘s health, according to Wilks. This certainly points to Wilks having more confidence in the ex-XFLer. Despite pushing for Offensive Rookie of the Year acclaim and playing a lead role in snapping one of major American sports’ longest playoff droughts two years later, Mayfield will likely need to sign a one-year deal and attempt to prove himself once again. Mayfield, 27, remains last in QBR among qualified starters.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/29/22

November 29th, 2022 at 7:40pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: DB Lamar Jackson
  • Released: WR Kaden Davis, RB Tyreik McAllister

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: TE Nick Guggemos

New Orleans Saints

  • Signed: LB Kenny Young
  • Placed on IR: OL Drew Desjarlais

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Buccaneers RT Tristan Wirfs Facing Multi-Week Absence

November 28th, 2022 at 12:41pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Buccaneers suffered an overtime defeat to the Browns yesterday, but the health of one of their top offensive players was a key talking point in the aftermath of the game. Right tackle Tristan Wirfs was carted off the field with an ankle injury, leading to fears of a lengthy absence and a resultant blow to Tampa’s offensive line.

X-Rays were negative, however, leading to hope that the worst-case scenario had been avoided. Head coach Todd Bowles confirmed as much on Monday, saying that Wirfs is dealing with a high ankle sprain. That will still likely lead to a stretch where the All-Pro is sidelined, though. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that a three-to-four week recovery timeline can be expected, and that, encouragingly, surgery does not appear to be necessary at this point (Twitter link).

Wirfs has yet to miss any time in his NFL career, operating as an immediate full-time starter at the right tackle spot after being drafted 13th overall in 2020. His elite PFF grades have continued this season, with an 87.3 overall mark in 2022 – the third-highest amongst qualifying offensive tackles. His absence will therefore be felt by a Buccaneers team which has seen a steep drop-off in effectiveness up front this season compared to the recent past.

Tampa is without all three of their starters along the interior of their o-line from last season, after Ali Marpet retired in February and fellow guard Alex Cappa signed with the Bengals in free agency. Center Ryan Jensen is under contract, but is not expected to return to game action in 2022 as a result of a major knee injury. That left Wirfs and left tackle Donovan Smith facing an increased burden to provide stability for the team’s offense this year, one which has been marred by inconsistency and an underwhelming ground game.

Bowles called Wirfs week-to-week, setting the team up for their second-ever instance of needing to replace him. The Iowa product missed one playoff game last year, also due to a serious ankle injury which, despite initial indications, also did not require surgery. Veteran Josh Wells and undrafted rookie Brandon Walton are available as options to fill in down the stretch, as Tampa looks to get a firmer grip on their NFC South lead in the coming weeks.

Buccaneers Activate Giovani Bernard; Leonard Fournette Out

November 26th, 2022 at 2:03pm CST by Ely Allen

Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette exited the team’s game against the Seahawks in Munich due to a hip pointer two weeks ago and was unable to get right during Tampa Bay’s bye week. Fournette has been ruled out as the team comes back for a game in Cleveland this week, and Tampa Bay will activate running back Giovani Bernard from injured reserve, providing a little depth at the position, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Fournette started out the season as the Buccaneers’ top rusher. As the season has progressed, though, third-round rookie running back Rachaad White has earned more and more carries, slowly taking away from Fournette’s role. The trend has advanced to the point that White was named Tampa Bay’s starting running back when the team traveled to Germany. Fournette still contributed to the team’s win, rushing for 57 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown but was removed from the rotation due to the hip injury.

Bernard’s role has drastically diminished since his tenure in Cincinnati. In his first year with the Buccaneers last season, Bernard’s carries dropped from 124 in 2020 to only eight. Tampa Bay utilized the veteran solely as a pass catcher out of the backfield. Even that role seemed to diminish this season as Bernard only appeared on special teams during the two games before going on IR.

With Fournette out, White will remain unchallenged as the team’s starting running back this week. Third-year back Ke’Shawn Vaughn, whose role has also drastically decreased this season with the emergence of White, should serve as the No. 2 running back behind White with Bernard contributing as a potential third-down receiving back, if at all on offense.

In order to make room for Bernard on the roster, the Buccaneers has waived linebacker J.J. Russell. Their linebacker depth won’t be depleted, though, as practice squad linebacker Ulysees Gilbert will be a gameday elevation against the Browns.

Buccaneers Designate RB Giovani Bernard For Return

November 21st, 2022 at 7:38pm CST by Ben Levine

The Buccaneers offense could soon be getting some reinforcement. The team announced that they’ve designated running back Giovani Bernard to return from injured reserve. The Buccaneers now have three weeks to activate the running back to their active roster.

Bernard landed on injured reserve in September after suffering an ankle injury in Week 2. In his one-plus games this season, the 30-year-old exclusively played on special teams, including one kickoff return.

The RB hasn’t played a significant offensive role since joining the Buccaneers in 2021, as he finished his first season in Tampa Bay with only 181 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns on 31 touches. However, he’s only two years removed from a 2020 campaign that saw him finish with 771 yards from scrimmage. Leonard Fournette suffered a hip injury last week, but thanks to a Week 11 bye week, he should be good to go on Sunday. Rachaad White had a career day while filling in for Fournette, finishing with 105 rushing yards on 22 carries. Bernard made a name for himself as a pass-catcher in Cincinnati, and if Leonard’s hip injury lingers, the veteran could end up seeing more offensive snaps.

The Buccaneers got some more good injury news today, as guard Luke Goedeke and wideout Russell Gage returned to practice, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). Gage has missed a month with a hamstring injury, and with the offseason acquisition now back on the field, Tom Brady will have a full grouping of wideouts heading into the final stretch of the season. Goedeke’s foot injury forced him to miss a chunk of time, and the veteran has since been jumped in the starting lineup by Nick Leverett.

Meanwhile, while safety Logan Ryan has been working out with the team, he still hasn’t been activated from injured reserve. The veteran defensive back’s foot surgery landed him on IR back in October.

NFC South Notes: Mariota, Saints, Bucs

November 18th, 2022 at 10:45am CST by Sam Robinson

Marcus Mariota did not acquit himself well during the Falcons‘ Week 10 loss to the Panthers, and Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post notes the eighth-year passer’s status as Atlanta’s starter past the midseason point has befuddled various NFL staffers. Mariota’s style has led Arthur Smith to lean heavily on his ground attack (23.1 pass attempts per game), and while that has been fairly effective for the Falcons, the team’s top-10 picks over the past two years — Kyle Pitts and Drake London — are being limited by this offense. Some execs are wondering why it is taking the Falcons so long to bench Mariota for rookie third-rounder Desmond Ridder, La Canfora adds. Pitts, who became only the second rookie tight end in NFL history to surpass 1,000 yards (behind Mike Ditka, 1961), has topped 30 yards in just two games this season. This year’s first wideout taken, London has not exceeded 50 yards in a game since Week 3.

It is certainly possible the Falcons, who are rebuilding yet also competing in a weak NFC South, do not view Ridder as ready. But this situation is raising eyebrows around the league. Here is the latest from the NFL’s lone division without an above-.500 team:

  • Pete Werner missed the Saints‘ Week 10 game due to an ankle injury, and it does not sound like he will return anytime soon. The second-year linebacker underwent surgery, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football tweets. Werner remains on New Orleans’ active roster, oddly, though it seems likely the team moves him to IR soon. The Saints are not ruling Werner out from a return this season, Underhill adds. After working as a part-time starter last season, the former second-round pick has been a three-down player this year. The Ohio State product has made a career-high 74 tackles and ranks as a top-30 linebacker, per Pro Football Focus.
  • The Saints should be expected to augment their running back situation in 2023, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.football tweets. Mark Ingram will turn 33 soon, and his contract expires at season’s end. Alvin Kamara will likely be suspended for his role in an alleged assault; the five-time Pro Bowler’s case has been delayed multiple times and is now tabled to January 2023. The Saints will likely have a bevy of options to choose from to find a Kamara complement/fill-in option. While certain free agency-eligible backs (Saquon Barkley chief among them) will not hit the market, many will. The contingent of starters or key contributors who are eligible for 2023 free agency includes Kareem Hunt, Josh Jacobs, Miles Sanders, David Montgomery, Damien Harris, Tony Pollard, Devin Singletary and D’Onta Foreman. Although the Saints could obviously look to the draft here, this is shaping up as a buyer’s running back market.
  • Rob Gronkowski‘s second retirement following O.J. Howard‘s free agency departure led to a near-overhaul for the Buccaneers at tight end. While longtime contributor Cameron Brate remains, he sustained a concussion recently. During Brate’s injury hiatus, the Bucs explored adding a tight end at the deadline, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. However, the team stood pat and has since used fourth-round rookie Cade Otton frequently. Otton, who caught Tom Brady‘s game-winning toss to beat the Rams earlier this month, and Brate have played in front of offseason addition Kyle Rudolph. Brate’s Week 10 return left the 12th-year vet a healthy scratch.

Injury Updates: Dobbins, Allen, Cardinals

November 17th, 2022 at 8:05pm CST by Ben Levine

J.K. Dobbins sat out the first two games of the season, started for four weeks, and then landed on injured reserve. When Dobbins was knocked out by knee surgery in mid-October, it was thought that the Ravens running back had suffered another knee injury. However, the second-year pro made it clear that the surgery was precautionary and intended to remedy lingering effects from his earlier surgery.

“I didn’t get reinjured,” Dobbins told WBJ in Baltimore (via NFL Network’s Mike Giardi on Twitter). “I didn’t hurt myself or anything. I just didn’t feel like myself… there was some stuff in my knee that was making me not feel like myself. It wasn’t bad, I could have still played … but I’d rather be 100 percent going into the playoffs towards the end of the year so I could really do what I really need to do to help the team win.”

Following a rookie campaign that saw him finish with more than 900 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns, Dobbins collected 162 yards and two touchdowns this season before landing on injured reserve. As Gus Edwards continues to nurse a hamstring injury, the Ravens have leaned on Kenyan Drake to lead the RB room.

More injury notes from around the NFL…

  • While it sounds like Josh Allen won’t be forced to miss any time with his elbow injury, the Bills quarterback will be on a strict recovery plan for the foreseeable future. Allen told reporters that Buffalo’s training staff has him “on a specific plan that we’ll follow,” and CBS’s Jonathan Jones assumes that the quarterback will continue to be limited in practice going forward (Twitter link). Allen did acknowledge that his right elbow will eventually get back to normal, so there shouldn’t be any lingering concerns about his outlook moving forward.
  • Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray said he originally injured his hamstring in Week 8 against the Vikings, played through the injury, and then tweaked his hamstring in Week 9, per ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss on Twitter. Colt McCoy got the start for Arizona in Week 10, and while Murray acknowledged that he’s feeling better, he’s still unsure of his status for Monday night’s game against the 49ers.
  • Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. While we don’t know any specifics surrounding the injury, coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters that the veteran will undergo surgery (per Weinfuss on Twitter). Ertz totaled 406 yards and four touchdowns on 47 receptions in 2022 before getting sidelined. The veteran inked a three-year, $31.65MM contract with the Cardinals this past offseason.
  • Leonard Fournette suffered a hip pointer last weekend, but the Buccaneers running back isn’t expected to miss any time following the team’s Week 11 bye, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Rookie Rachaad White got an extended look filling in for Fournette, finishing with 22 carries for 105 yards.
  • Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker told reporters that he’s still dealing with an ankle injury suffered in Week 1 that forced him to miss four games. “I’m not at 100%, no,” the veteran said (via Jesse Newell of the Kansas City Star). “I mean, if I was at 100%, I’d be doing full steps on my kickoffs or going back to the 10 yards and everything.” Butker has struggled in the five games he’s played in 2022, connecting on only 62.5 percent of his field goal attempts. He’s also missed a pair of extra point tries over the past two weeks.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/12/22

November 12th, 2022 at 7:00pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are the minor roster moves in anticipation for Sunday’s slate of games:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Activated from IR: S Charles Washington
  • Promoted from practice squad: OL Rashaad Coward

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

  • Promoted from practice squad: TE Nick Muse

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Buccaneers S Antoine Winfield Jr. Clears Concussion Protocol

November 11th, 2022 at 10:00pm CST by Ely Allen

Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. is set to return to the field after missing the past two weeks with a concussion, according to Buccaneers senior writer Scott Smith. Tampa Bay will have its third-year starting safety back in time for a home matchup with the Seahawks.

Winfield is coming back from the second multi-week absence of his career due to a concussion. The Pro Bowler missed two games last year after getting knocked out of a Week 4 win over the Patriots. He missed two games later in that season with a foot injury.

Since intercepting Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in Week 1, Winfield has been quiet in terms of playmaking, but he has a penchant for making plays over his career with four interceptions, 14 passes defensed, five forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries over the first two and half years of his NFL career. Winfield is also a presence in the team’s pass rush with eight sacks and 10 quarterback hits so far in his career.

The return of Winfield to the secondary should equal backup safety Keanu Neal‘s return to the bench. Neal has started the last four games for the Buccaneers filling in for both Winfield and free safety Mike Edwards, who missed some time with an elbow injury. Neal filled in for Edwards in Week 6 and subbed in for Winfield after he left the team’s loss to the Panthers in Week 7. Neal started the next two games, as well, as Winfield worked to clear concussion protocols.

At this point, Winfield has been a full participant in practice for most of the week and will be full go against the Seahawks.

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