Team news: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Talking on @953WDAE, Bucs GM Jason Licht frames Chris Godwin’s return as likely October (Week 5 or later), saying Tristan Wirfs might be a little sooner.

Related Players: Mike Evans, Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan

This is about the timeline that we thought he'd be on, but it's still a little confusing why the team took him off of PUP. Regardless, we should consider Evans a WR2 and Egbuka a WR3 as we head into drafts this weekend.

Chris Godwin. Their presence means that they have passed physicals and won’t remain on the Physically Unable to Perform list for the first four weeks of the regular season.

Related players: Mike Evans, Emeka Egbuka, Sterling Shepard

Godwin reportedly won’t play until October. He’s expected to start practicing in Week 2, the story went on to say. With Godwin out, Egbuka is poised to take over the WR2 role behind Evans. Next up could be the veteran Shepard.

The Bucs plan to release quarterback Kyle Trask, per source.

Related players: Baker Mayfield, Teddy Bridgewater

Trask will revert to IR with a shoulder issue, then work out a settlement or release and look for a new team, the post went on to say. The move means the team will stick with Bridgewater as the QB2 behind Mayfield.

Sources: Buccaneers plan to activate WR Chris Godwin off the Physically Unable to Perform list and have him on their 53-man roster to start the season, but only to begin his ramp-up process for games, not to immediately play in them. Godwin still is unlikely to play until October as he continues recovering from the fractured ankle he suffered in Week 7 vs. the Ravens last season. He is expected to start practicing in Week 2, but the team thinks he is right where he should be at this time and is pleased with his recovery.

Related Players: Mike Evans, Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan

Great news for Godwin's 2025 outlook but it doesn't sound like we'll be in a position to start up at the beginning of the season as he ramps up. Evans and Egbuka, in general, will be great early-season targets, and Cade Otton should be on streaming radar for drafters who missed out on the TE position.

Jalen McMillan will be placed on injured reserve after suffering a “severely sprained neck,” against the Steelers and could be out past the Bucs Week 9 bye week, the Times has learned.

Related players: Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, Sterling Shepard, Trey Palmer

This is a bit of an update from our previous item about McMillan. The post went on to say the team still feels fortunate the injury wasn’t worse and that they have depth at WR starting with Evans and Egbuka. Godwin will eventually return from a dislocated ankle, the story pointed out. Egbuka is likely pressed into a high-impact role from the start for the Bucs. Shepard and Palmer are a couple of other names to keep an eye on in this offense, especially if Godwin isn't able to start the start the season on the active roster.

The Buccaneers have not activated Chris Godwin from the physically unable to perform list yet and head coach Todd Bowles announced on Tuesday that they will definitely be missing another wideout for the start of the regular season.

Bowles said at a press conference that Jalen McMillan has a severe neck strain and that he will not be ready to play for the team’s Week 1 game against the Falcons.

Related players: Mike Evans, Emeka Egbuka

Bowles did not say how much more time McMillan will miss. If he goes on injured reserve, he will have to miss four games before being eligible to return of, course. As the story pointed out, with McMillan out and Godwin questionable at best, the Bucs will likely be giving first-round pick Egbuka a sizable role alongside Evans at wideout to kick off the year. Egbuka has looked good with all the chances he's getting in camp, according to reports, and may be able to secure a more permanent role in the offense at this rate.

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said Sunday that the team is still running tests on WR Jalen McMillan, who is listed with a back injury and was evaluated for a possible concussion.

McMillan was hurt following a leaping catch in the second quarter of Saturday’s preseason game against the Steelers. He was able to walk off the field under his own power. He was wearing a neck brace after the game. The Bucs already have Chris Godwin likely starting the season on the physically unable to perform list. McMillan was set to be a good piece to the Buccaneers’ offense this season and has been having a nice camp. McMillan is going late, if not undrafted in fantasy drafts to this point.

The Bucs will be without Chris Godwin to start the season. I would be shocked if he doesn’t start the year on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list. Therefore, that opens up a roster spot at wide receiver. We know Mike Evans, Emeka Egbuka, and Jalen McMillan will be the top three receivers to start the season, but Tampa Bay will need two to three more receivers to start the season.

If Godwin does end up on PUP, that means he's out for at least the four games of the season, which would clearly impact his season-long fantasy propositions. Things are really lining up for Egbuka to find a role in the passing game from the jump (whether that's on the inside or the perimeter), and this would boost Evans' target share as well.

Buccaneers RB Rachaad White is dealing with a groin injury and will undergo further testing Sunday to determine the extent of the injury.

Bucky Irving was already a hot fantasy commodity this season and this only bolsters his outlook early on, if White does miss some time following his injury Saturday. This also opens the door for Sean Tucker, whom head coach Todd Bowles said he’d like to get the ball to more. We’ll find out more Sunday regarding how long White will be out.

Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is officially a member of the Buccaneers.

Bridgewater visited with the team on Tuesday and took a physical that went well enough for the Bucs to announce his signing. Punter Jake Julien was waived to make space for Bridgewater on the roster.

Related players: Baker Mayfield, Kyle Trask, Michael Pratt

Pratt is currently injured, according to the story, so Bridgewater will likely challenge Trask for the QB2 job behind Mayfield. The story mentions Bridgewater has a history with offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard. Both of them were with the Dolphins during the 2022 season, so Bridgewater may have an edge.