Category: Latest Team News

Bucs OL Nick Leverett (shoulder) won’t return vs. Colts

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have lost yet another offensive lineman to injury

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have lost yet another offensive lineman to injury.

Nick Leverett suffered a shoulder injury in the third quarter of Saturday night’s preseason finale against the Indianapolis Colts, and has been ruled out for the rest of the game.

The Bucs have already lost Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen and guard Aaron Stinnie to knee injuries. Jensen’s replacement, Robert Hainsey, was ruled out of Saturday night’s game after suffering an ankle injury in the first half.

Losing another blocker, especially a versatile one like Leverett who can play all five positions, would be a huge blow for Tampa Bay.

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Bucs C Robert Hainsey (ankle) won’t return vs. Colts

Tampa Bay Buccaneers center Robert Hainsey is out for the rest of Saturday night’s preseason finale with an ankle injury

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will finish their preseason finale without their now-starting center.

Robert Hainsey suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter of Saturday night’s game against the Indianapolis Colts, and has been ruled out for the rest of the game.

Hainsey is the replacement for Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen, who is expected to miss a huge chunk of the 2022 season with a knee injury he suffered on the second day of training camp.

There is an encouraging update from Bucs radio host T.J. Rives (via ESPN’s Jenna Laine), who reports that Hainsey has been telling teammates on the sideline that he’ll be okay:

Bucs fans will be hoping Hainsey’s absence for the rest of Saturday’s game will be nothing more than a precaution, and that he’ll be in the starting lineup for Week 1.

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Bucs OL Robert Hainsey leaves preseason game vs. Colts with injury

Tampa Bay Buccaneers center Robert Hainsey left Saturday night’s preseason game with an injury

Tampa Bay Buccaneers are holding their breath over another potential blow to their already banged-up offensive line.

Robert Hainsey went down with an injury in the second quarter of Saturday night’s preseason finale against the Indianapolis Colts, and had to be helped off the field.

Hainsey is already replacing Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen, who suffered a significant knee injury on the second day of training camp.

Losing Hainsey for any length of time would be another huge blow to the Bucs’ offensive line, and to their chances of protecting Tom Brady when the regular season begins.

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Bucs CB Sean Murphy-Bunting talks faith, family, and bouncing back in 2022

Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting is ready to make the most of his contract year

Heading into the 2021 NFL season, Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting was coming off an impressive showing during the Bucs’ Super Bowl run, and was primed for a breakout campaign.

Instead, a broken arm suffered early in Week 1 stunted Murphy-Bunting’s plan for a big year.

The former second-round pick out of Central Michigan never quite found his form after returning from the injury, and struggled with consistency throughout the rest of the season.

Now that he’s back to full strength, Murphy-Bunting spoke with the media Thursday about how faith and family helped him through last year’s challenges, and how he’s preparing for his role in the defense this season:

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Bucs WR Scotty Miller on the roster bubble heading into preseason finale

Just a year after making one of the biggest plays in franchise history, Scotty Miller is fighting for a roster spot in Tampa Bay

It seems like just yesterday that Scotty Miller was making one of the most iconic plays in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history, hauling in a shocking touchdown pass from Tom Brady just before halftime of the NFC title game.

A little over a year later, Miller finds himself in a tight battle for a roster spot as the Bucs prepare for the 2022 season.

Tampa Bay’s top four spots are locked in at wide receiver (Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Julio Jones, Russell Gage), leaving just a couple of slots for every other receiver on the roster.

Miller has been battling with familiar faces like Tyler Johnson and Jaelon Darden, as well as standout rookies like Deven Thompkins, Jerreth Sterns and Kaylon Geiger, all of whom have been impressive throughout training camp and the preseason.

After Thursday’s practice, Miller talked about his approach to the position battle, as well as the development of second-year quarterback Kyle Trask:

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NFL Top 100: Bucs LB Lavonte David, DL Vita Vea snubbed by 2022 list

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive stars Lavonte David and Vita Vea were left off of this year’s NFL Top 100 list

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were well represented on this year’s NFL Network’s “NFL Top 100” list, but a couple of surprising names were missing.

Linebacker Lavonte David and defensive lineman Vita Vea were left off of this year’s list, despite being among the NFL’s best at their respective positions.

Though the final order of the top 20 players has yet to be revealed, those names were unveiled in alphabetical order Thursday, confirming that David and Vea wouldn’t be included this year.

The Bucs who did make the list? Outside linebacker Shaq Barrett (No. 86), safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (No. 75), linebacker Devin White (No. 64), wide receiver Mike Evans (No. 53), and offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs (No. 41).

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Latest update on Chris Godwin’s injury status

Get the latest on Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin’s recovery from last year’s season-ending knee injury

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have just one more preseason game left before the real thing begins, and one of their most important players is still working his way back to full-contact participation in practice.

Pro Bowl wide receiver Chris Godwin suffered a season-ending injury in Week 15 last year, and has been working hard to get back to full strength for the 2022 season.

Godwin didn’t have to start training camp on the PUP list, and has slowly been working his way up from individual workouts to full-team drills, though still while donning a non-contact jersey.

After Thursday’s practice, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles updated Godwin’s progress as the team looks ahead to a Week 1 road trip to face the Dallas Cowboys.

“He got some good work in,” Bowles said. “He’s getting better. He’s getting his wind up, he’s getting his legs under him, but he’s getting better. Obviously no contact or anything but he’s getting better every week.”

It’s still unclear whether or not Godwin will be ready to return for the start of the regular season, but the fact that he’ll even be able to play at any point this season is a testament to his work ethic throughout the rehab process.

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All of Bucs’ healthy players, including Tom Brady, will play in preseason finale

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles says all of his healthy players will see the field Saturday night against the Indianapolis Colts

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers close out their 2022 preseason slate Saturday night in Indianapolis, fans will finally get their first look at some of the team’s biggest names in game action this year.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles told the media after Thursday’s practice that everyone on the roster who is healthy will play in the preseason finale against the Colts.

That includes quarterback Tom Brady, who recently returned from an 11-day absence from the team for personal reasons.

After the Bucs close out their trio of exhibition games Saturday night, they’ll look ahead to final roster cuts before kicking off the regular season the road against the Dallas Cowboys.

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Bucs waive (injured) WR Cyril Grayson Jr.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have waived wide receiver Cyril Grayson Jr. with an injury designation

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are parting ways with one of their most pleasant surprises from the latter part of the 2022 season.

Wide receiver Cyril Grayson Jr. was waived Thursday, with an injury designation, the team announced.

Grayson didn’t play college football, but ran track at LSU. After playing for seven different NFL teams over a three-year stretch, he landed with the Bucs in 2019 to help provide depth after multiple injuries left the unit thin.

The former track star showed off his speed last year with some big plays, including a game-winning touchdown in the final seconds of a comeback victory over the New York Jets.

Grayson was facing an uphill battle to make Tampa Bay’s final roster this year, due in large part to offseason additions like Russell Gage and Julio Jones.

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Bucs to sign OLB Genard Avery

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are signing veteran outside linebacker Genard Avery

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are signing free agent outside linebacker Genard Avery, per multiple reports.

Avery, 27, started 12 games for the Philadelphia Eagles last season, tallying 43 tackles.

A fifth-round pick in the 2018 NFL draft out of Memphis, Avery spent his first two NFL seasons with the Cleveland Browns before joining the Eagles for the last two campaigns. Most recently, he was released by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday.

Avery joins a Tampa Bay defense that just brought back veteran Carl Nassib to help replace Cam Gill, who was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury. He’ll have an opportunity to compete for a spot on Tampa Bay’s final 53-man roster as the Bucs prepare for Saturday’s preseason finale against the Indianapolis Colts.

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