Team news: Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Page 10

Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin has taken another significant step in his recovery from last year’s torn ACL.

Godwin did seven-on-seven work for the first time in training camp today. Reporters on the scene said Godwin looked good running and cutting.

The story went on to say: Godwin tore his ACL on December 19, so he’s not yet eight months removed from the injury, and his recovery seems to be on schedule, perhaps ahead of schedule. The Bucs haven’t put a timeline on Godwin’s return, but it appears likely that he’ll be on the field when the Bucs take on the Cowboys in Week 1.

Panthers QB Baker Mayfield received most of the work with the first-team offense.

Related players: Sam Darnold

The Panthers are having joint practices with the Patriots this week. Kyed went on to say in his tweet he wouldn’t say Mayfield or Darnold stood out today. Both QBs made some good throws near the end of practice while Darnold was picked late. We're expecting Mayfield to win this job and would have some talent around him. He was the QB18 in 2020 and QB23 in 2021.

Unsurprisingly after Sam Darnold's lackluster 2021 and the trade for Mayfield, it looks like the latter is in the driver seat as the team's QB1.

Related Players: D.J. Moore, Robbie Anderson

Per the article, “He’s definitely improving,” Panthers coach Matt Rhule said of Mayfield. “He gets more and more of a feel of what he can do at the line of scrimmage. What he’s done in 10 days is pretty impressive — or 10, 11 practices. He’s making really good jumps.” Mayfield would add stability to the skill position group like Darnold would not. This is good news for the WR group.

Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles told reporters Saturday that WR Mike Evans, who left Friday's practice early with a hamstring injury, "is fine" and is day-to-day.

Certainly good news for Evans. He'll have plenty of time to rest. We're still a month away from the Buccaneers' first game on September 11 against the Cowboys and it was always very unlikely Evans, or many other Buccaneers starters, would play much, if at all, in the preseason. Evans is being selected, on average, in the top 20 picks overall as a top-8 wide receiver in what should be another Super-Bowl-or-bust season and what could be Tom Brady's final season.

This was Godwin's first practice since his ACL tear.

Related Players: Mike Evans, Julio Jones, Russell Gage

If Godwin is truly ready to go by Week 1, we have a bonafide wide receiver logjam in Tampa Bay, which will be a great problem to have for Tom Brady. There for a brief moment, it was looking like Russell Gage was going to operate as the team's WR2 for at least a small portion of the 2022 season, but with the return of Godwin and the addition of Julio Jones, he may be relegated back to a rotational role.

McVay also lumped Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson together when answering a random question yesterday about players John Wolford has to work with.

Point is, he's lately not mentioning one without the other. Feels like he sees them as a duo.

McVay barely mentioned Akers, and when he did he lumped in Darrell Henderson with him ("Feel really good about those guys"), according to other tweets. But like we said in Akers' profile, in his last 10 games, including the playoffs, Akers averaged 20.5 touches per game, and cleared 18 touches in seven of those 10 games. It’s pretty clear that the Rams want Akers to be their bell cow.

Bucs WR Chris Godwin has been cleared to begin training camp despite undergoing knee surgery Jan. 3 for a torn ACL.

It's great news for owners as Godwin at least won't start camp on the PUP list, according to the tweet. His Week 1 status might not be locked in yet, but he's certainly on the right track. The Bucs also just signed Julio Jones, which could be for insurance if Godwin isn't ready. With Mike Evans and Russell Gage also in the fold, there will be a lot of mouths to feed in Tampa.

Seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Julio Jones is signing a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, per source.

Related players: Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Russell Gage

The soon-to-be 45-year Tom Brady now will have a chance to throw to the 33-year-old Jones, Schefter pointed out. The Bucs do throw a lot but there will be a lot of mouths to feed in this offense. It could be insurance for Godwin returning to the lineup from injury as well. The biggest hit could come to Gage's targets and value, and, Jones, himself, may not see a ton of balls like potential owners were hoping for. Still, there is definitely some value for Jones and his owners.

Seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Julio Jones is signing a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Related Players: Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, Russell Gage

John Paulsen's take: Jones is yet another weapon for Tom Brady and provides some insurance in case Chris Godwin is not available at the start of the season. Godwin is apparently cleared for the start of camp, so he's seemingly on track to play Week 1, but given the timeframe of his ACL tear, that's a really quick recovery. As long as Jones is healthy, he'll have a chance to play in three-WR sets with Mike Evans and Godwin, but it's possible that Russell Gage beats out the 33-year-old Jones for the WR3 job if Jones' production has truly declined. If Godwin is out to start the season, Gage will likely fill the slot since nearly half of his targets came on slot routes last season. Jones's arrival puts a small dent in Evans' and Gage's value.

Tampa Bay made it official, signing the former Vikings and Giants tight end to a one-year deal. Heading into his 12th NFL season at the ripe age of 33, Kyle Rudolph will have an uphill battle to be a focal point of an offense for the first time since 2018.

Related Players: Cameron Brate, Cade Otton

Between the loss of Rob Gronkowski and O.J. Howard, the team was in a spot to replace over 1,000 snaps at the position heading into the season, so the signing of a veteran comes as no surprise. With Rudolph as more of an in-line blocker —particularly at this point in his career— Cameron Brate should still have plenty of the pass-catching role in 2022.