Bucs HC Todd Bowles said Monday that RB Bucky Irving "has definitely earned more reps." Irving was out-snapped 42 to 18 by RB Rachaad White in the Week 3 loss to the Broncos. Bowles said that was due to his team playing from behind. White remains the preferred back in passing situations. But it sounds like that gap in snaps should shrink in the coming weeks.
Godwin had a final stat line of six catches on nine targets for 53 yards and a TD. He led the team in targets again this week while Mike Evans disappointed with a stat line of two catches on three targets for 17 yards.
The rookie ran nine times for 70 yards adding three catches for 14 yards while Rachaad White had six rushes for 17 yards and five catches for 18 yards.
Bucs RB Rachaad White suffered a groin injury in the first quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Lions and is officially questionable to return. Stay tuned for an update. White's absence leaves rookie Bucky Irving as Tampa Bay's lead back.
Update: White returned to the game later in the first quarter.
Buccaneers CB Zyon McCollum has cleared the concussion protocol and will play today against the Lions, ESPN's Jenna Laine reports.
Buccaneers S Antoine Winfield Jr. will miss at least two games and could be out as much as a month, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Winfield suffered an ankle injury late in Sunday's win over the Commanders and left the stadium in a walking boot. Stroud adds that the Bucs are "cautiously optimistic" it'll be just two weeks.
Bucs WR Mike Evans turned 31 years old in August. But he looked squarely in his prime against an overmatched Washington secondary. Seeing 6 targets -- tied for second on the team -- Evans tallied 5-61-2. That marked his third game with 2 TDs since Week 12 of last season.
Asked about his plans for the backfield on Wednesday, Bucs HC Todd Bowles said it'll change on a "game-by-game basis" and be a "hot-hand" situation. Bowles also confirmed that RB Rachaad White will start Sunday's opener vs. the Commanders.
Bucs WR Chris Godwin is “finally looking like his old self,” per ESPN’s Jenna Laine. Here’s HC Todd Bowles: "Chris looks good, he's lean. ... I think he's finally healthy." Recall that Godwin suffered an ACL tear in December of 2021.
Buccaneers DE Yaya Diaby was carted off the field with an apparent left ankle injury. Diaby had been gaining hype as the best player overall for the Buccaneers so far in training camp and a key pass rusher to their defensive strategy.
Bucs WR Jalen McMillan has been a standout early in training camp and is in the lead for the No. 3 WR job, according to Pewter Report. WR Trey Palmer is McMillan's primary competition for that No. 3 spot.
Bucs WRs coach Bryan McClendon said Monday that the team believes rookie WR Jalen McMillan can play both outside and in the slot. McMillan played almost exclusively in the slot the past two seasons at Washington but lined up out wide for 84% of his snaps as a sophomore back in 2021. That ability to play outside will be important with the Bucs planning to move WR Chris Godwin back into the slot for the majority of the time this season. That figures to leave McMillan and WR Trey Palmer battling for the outside spot opposite Mike Evans. Consider McMillan a slight favorite to win that job. He beats Palmer in draft capital (Round 3 vs. Round 6), and Palmer ranked 77th among 80 qualifying WRs in yards per route as a rookie last year.
The Packers added Tulane QB Michael Pratt in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Pratt didn’t start playing football until high school but was a four-year starter at Tulane and showed steady improvement throughout his career. Pratt’s completion rate climbed each year, topping out at 65.4% in 2023. And he went from 7.2 yards per attempt over his first two seasons to 8.7 over the last two. The 6’3, 217-pounder has average arm strength and durability concerns. He suffered a concussion in 2021, a shoulder injury and fractured heel in 2022, and a left knee injury in 2023. But Pratt is an accurate passer with good anticipation and pocket presence. He looks like a classic NFL backup. Pratt will look to beat out 2023 fifth-rounder Sean Clifford for Green Bay’s No. 2 job.
The Buccaneers drafted Oregon RB Bucky Irving in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. Irving earned 133 carries as a freshman at Minnesota, but left after that season. He transferred to Oregon in 2022 and immediately earned a 1A backfield role. That year, the 192-pounder showed surprising power with 4.36 yards after contact per attempt. Nearly 22% of his carries went for 10+ yards en route to a career-best 6.8 yards per carry. Irving struggled with drops, but that issue proved less worrisome in 2023. Irving even led the nation in receptions by a RB (55). He showed scheme versatility by lining up out wide on 13.2% of his passing snaps. He played the slot nearly 10% of the time. On the ground, Irving remained productive while running both gap and zone concepts. The junior posted career highs in carries (186), yards (1,192), and TDs (11). By mid-winter, it looked like Irving had a chance to be among the first couple of RBs selected. Then came a horrid NFL Combine that included a 2.25 Relative Athletic Score. Irving posted a 26th-percentile broad jump (9'7) and 4th-percentile vertical (29.5 inches). He came off the board sixth among RBs, though, and lands in a Tampa Bay backfield that presents opportunity. Rachaad White enjoyed a breakout 2023 but did so primarily thanks to touch volume. He ranked sixth-lowest among qualifiers in rush yards over expected per attempt, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Among 63 RBs with at least 60 carries, White ranked just 48th in yards after contact per attempt (according to Pro Football Focus). He even checked in just 27th in PFF receiving grade among 61 RBs with at least 20 targets. Expect Irving to siphon some work from White right away, with a chance to keep earning more. This is a good landing spot for Irving's dynasty outlook. We'll see where he lands in rookie ADP.
The Buccaneers selected Washington WR Jalen McMillan in Round 3 of the NFL Draft. McMillan functioned as Washington’s primary slot over the past two seasons, with 2022 turning up peak production (79-1,098-0). He hit 80 yards in seven of 13 games. McMillan even out-targeted Rome Odunze (118-110) with help from one extra game played. Last year, a left MCL sprain limited McMillan’s output. Still, he posted solid marks in yards per route run (2.30) and yards after catch per reception (6.4). Notably, his aDOT dropped to 9.6 – well below the 13.1 figure he posted in ‘22. Of course, catching balls from Round 1 QB Michael Penix Jr. helped. But the tape here shows a nice blend of route polish and athleticism. At the NFL Combine, McMillan registered a strong 9.33 Relative Athletic Score, highlighted by a 10’7” broad jump. The 6’1, 203-pounder could earn a starting role as soon as 2025 when Chris Godwin is due for free agency. For 2024, though, McMillan is only worth stashing in deep formats.
The Buccaneers are finalizing a three-year extension with QB Baker Mayfield, according to multiple reports. The pact will reportedly pay him $100 million, with $50 million guaranteed and another $15 million available in incentives. The impact: Mayfield looks like the Tampa Bay QB for at least the next two years -- and probably the next three. He enjoyed a rebound 2023 and will continue to have Mike Evans and Chris Godwin as his top two wideouts. Mayfield delivered six top-12 fantasy finishes at the position last season and remains a nice value at his low draft cost. He should remain a solid late QB2 for 2024 redraft leagues.
The Buccaneers have agreed to a two-year extension with WR Mike Evans. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports it'll pay $52 million over the span, including $35 million in guarantees. This always seemed the most likely path, though some recent reports suggested talks were breaking down and Evans might reach free agency. He'll now stay in Tampa Bay for his age-31 and age-32 seasons. Evans has eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in each of his 10 Bucs seasons. His 2023 felt like a rebound, but that was mostly because of bad TD luck in 2022. Evans did lead the league with 13 TD catches in 2023, his third season among the past four with at least 13 scores. His 15.9 yards per catch marked his highest average since 2019 and beat his career average. We'll see how Tampa's QB situation shakes out, with Baker Mayfield headed for free agency. But betting against Evans hasn't worked very well to date.
Oregon RB Bucky Irving posted a weak 3.71 Relative Athletic Score in Scouting Combine testing Saturday. That ranks 1,111 among 1,765 RBs since 1987, according to RAS.football. That's not good, but it's also not necessarily a killer. We need only look back two years to find Kyren Williams scoring even lower in his Combine workout. The fifth-round pick of the Rams endured a quiet rookie campaign before a breakthrough 2023. Like Williams, Irving delivered a productive college career. That included leading the Ducks in carries and yards per carry each of the past two years, averaging 6.2 yards per rush for his career, averaging 8.3 yards per catch for his career, and tallying 95 career receptions. His Combine testing should temper excitement for his NFL upside and seems likely to hurt his draft status. But it certainly doesn't kill his chances of becoming fantasy relevant.
Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles told reporters at the Scouting Combine that he'd "definitely like to have another back in here to take some of the weight off" RB Rachaad White. That statement shouldn't surprise anyone. White ranked sixth in the league in opportunity share last season and second in carries. He remained inefficient as a runner, though. He averaged just 3.6 yards per carry and ranked 38th among 44 qualifying RBs in rushing success rate. We're not betting Tampa Bay will replace White as the backfield leader. But the team would clearly like to upgrade on the rest of its 2023 backfield. And that's likely to cut into White's work share some. You might be surprised to see where White sits in our 2024 RB rankings, because we're already factoring in that expectation.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Buccaneers would owe WR Mike Evans $28.4 million for 2024 if they use the franchise tag to retain him. That's significantly higher than the league-wide WR tag salary of $21.6 million because Evans carried a $23.7 million cap hit in 2023. This obviously doesn't keep Tampa Bay from signing Evans to a longer-term extension ahead of free agency. And it might not even keep the Bucs from tagging Evans. Spotrac projects the team to be more than $37 million under the 2024 even with the existing $12.2 million hit of Evans' voided 2024. The team could also tag Evans and then rescind the tag if he doesn't sign the tender and the two sides fail to work out a longer deal. We're betting for now that the 31-year-old (come Aug. 21) sticks around. But that's no sure thing.
Update: Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz says his "understanding is Evans is trending toward becoming a free agent, barring an unexpected change in discussions."
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