The Buccaneers added left tackle Tristan Wirfs to the injury report on Thursday.
Wirfs did not practice with a toe injury.
Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (foot) returned to full participation after sitting out Wednesday, and running back Kenny Gainwell (hip) went from limited on Wednesday to a full participant on Thursday.
Defensive lineman Elijah Roberts (personal) returned to full work after missing Wednesday’s session.
Outside linebacker Yaya Diaby (knee) is the only player who has not practiced this week.
Safety Tykee Smith (ankle) had a second consecutive limited practice.
Bucs Clips
The Bears got starting linemen from both sides of the ball back at practice on Thursday.
Left tackle Theo Benedet (shoulder) and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett (groin) were both limited participants as the team continuing preparing for Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers. They were both listed as non-participants on Wednesday’s practice report.
Linebacker T.J. Edwards (personal) was also listed as out on Wednesday. He fully participated on Thursday.
Linebacker D’Marco Jackson (ankle) moved in the opposite direction and missed practice after not being on Wednesday’s report. Running back Kyle Monangai (thumb, toe) and left guard Joe Thuney (rest) were also out of practice.
Defensive back Malik Muhammad (toe) joined Benedet and Jarrett in the limited category.
Bears coach Ben Johnson is well known as an offensive innovator and creative play caller. But he was also impressed that the team he’s preparing to coach against this week just won a game with as old-school an offense as the modern NFL has ever seen.
The Bears will face the Buccaneers on Sunday night, and Johnson has been watching film of the way the Bucs beat the Falcons last week while completing zero passes, the first time in more than half a century that an NFL team finished a game without a completion. Johnson said Bucs coach Todd Bowles and his staff wisely kept the ball on the ground on a rainy day in Tampa, and Johnson said the Bucs have great personnel for such an approach.
“That’s a very unique game, and credit to Coach Bowles for recognizing early on, ‘We’re not even going to throw the ball, we’re going to run it.’ And they’ve got the horses to do that,” Johnson said. “This offensive line is really good. The scheme is very good — they’ve got a lot of variety with the way they do things. And their backs are phenomenal as well.”
The Buccaneers and the Bears rank first and second in the NFL in rushing, with the Bucs averaging 168.6 yards per game and the Bears averaging 150.8. Johnson has been particularly impressed with the way the Bucs have run the ball over the last four weeks, with Baker Mayfield missing three of those games and not completing any passes in the fourth.
“It’s a potent rushing attack,” Johnson said. “I think the last four games they’re averaging 230 a game, and it coincides with them winning three out of their last four as well, so that’ll be a huge challenge for us. They’re the No. 1 team in football rushing the ball right now. It’ll be a big one.”
Against the Falcons, the Buccaneers finished with 326 more rushing yards than passing yards. It’s safe to say they won’t have that great a run-pass disparity on Sunday night against the Bears, but Johnson knows the Buccaneers’ offense can be dangerous even if it’s one-dimensional.
Buccaneers kicker Chase McLaughlin had a strong October and has been named NFC special teams player of the month.
McLaughlin connected on all 18 of his kicks, becoming one of two NFC kickers in October to make 100 percent of his kicks on at least seven field goals and at least 10 extra points.
Five of McLaughlin’s field goals were for at least 40 yards. He had seven total field goals and 11 total PATs.
This is McLaughlin’s first special teams player of the month award. He is the third Tampa Bay kicker to ever win the honor.
In eight games this season, McLaughlin has hit 19-of-19 field goals and 17-of-17 extra points.
The Buccaneers are adding some depth to their offensive line.
Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Tampa Bay has claimed Trevor Keegan off of waivers.
The Vikings let Keegan go on Tuesday.
Keegan, 26, appeared in seven games for Minnesota this season. He was on the field for 30 special teams snaps and three offensive snaps.
The Vikings had claimed Keegan off waivers in September. An Eagles fifth-round pick in 2024, Keegan has also spent time with the Cowboys.
The Buccaneers beat the Falcons without completing a pass on Sunday.
They also beat the Falcons without allowing a point.
Linebacker Alex Anzalone was in the middle of that, and now he’s been named NFC defensive player of the week.
Anzalone had two interceptions plus six tackles, including one for loss, in the Bucs’ 16-0 victory.
Both of his picks came in the first quarter. According to the league, he is just the second linebacker since 2000 to have two interceptions in the first quarter of a game. Lofa Tatupu also accomplished the feat in 2007.
This is Anzalone’s first career defensive player of the week award.
The Buccaneers will be on the road to face the Bears on Sunday night this week.
The Vikings have let go of an offensive lineman.
Minnesota announced on Tuesday that the club has waived guard Trevor Keegan.
Keegan, 26, appeared in seven games for Minnesota this season. He was on the field for 30 special teams snaps and three offensive snaps.
The Vikings had claimed Keegan off waivers in September. An Eagles fifth-round pick in 2024, Keegan has also spent time with the Cowboys.
Additionally, Minnesota has released tight end Bryson Nesbit from its practice squad.
There is some more information on Buccaneers outside linebacker YaYa Diaby, who suffered a knee injury on Sunday.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Diaby suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain.
While Diaby is set to miss time, he’s likely to return in a matter of weeks.
Diaby, who is in his fourth season, has not missed a game to this point in his career. In 2026, he’s registered 3.0 sacks, six tackles for loss, and six QB hits, along with an interception.
Coming off a 16-0 victory over the Falcons, the Buccaneers will be on the road to face the Bears on Sunday night in Week 9.
The Buccaneers shut out the Falcons in Sunday’s win, but their defense lost a starter to injury on the way to victory.
Linebacker Yaya Diaby left the game with a knee injury. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Diaby is believed to have a sprained MCL and he is set to have an MRI to provide further clarity on the extent of the injury. That testing will also provide a better idea of when Diaby is able to return to the lineup.
Diaby was limited to seven snaps against Atlanta.
Diaby did not land on the stat sheet during his brief time in Sunday’s game, but he has 16 tackles, three sacks and an interception over the course of the entire season.
The Buccaneers set a franchise-record with 324 rushing yards in Sunday’s 16-0 win over the Falcons and they made a little other history as well.
The Bucs did not have a completed pass in the game, which was a first in franchise history and it made them the first team since the Bills in 1974 to go an entire game without completing a pass. The game was played in wet and sloppy conditions that joined Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield’s injured right thumb as reasons why the Bucs only tried three passes all game.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to win,” Mayfield said, via Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press. “That’s all that matters to me.”
Mayfield was 7-of-11 in Tampa’s Week 7 win over the Panthers and the team has called a total of 16 pass plays over the last two weeks. They’ve called 104 running plays and the back-to-back wins should serve as proof of concept for a run-focused approach no matter the weather in the weeks to come.
