The Buccaneers got left tackle Tristan Wirfs back at practice on Thursday, but they were missing the other bookend of their offensive line.
Right tackle Luke Goedeke did not take part in practice. Head coach Todd Bowles told reporters after practice that Goedeke played through a foot injury in last Sunday’s win over the Falcons and they will monitor his status over the next couple of days before making any call about Monday night’s game against the Texans.
The Bucs moved Graham Barton to left tackle in place of Wirfs in Week 1 and Charlie Heck took Goedeke’s reps on the right side during Thursday’s practice. With Wirfs likely out of game action a little longer, that could be the way things look against Houston.
Bowles also said that cornerback Benjamin Morrison is on track to play this week. The rookie did not play in Week 1 due to a quad injury.
Two rehabbing Buccaneers players are set for significant steps back toward the lineup on Tuesday.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that wide receiver Godwin is expected to participate in practice for the first time since suffering a season-ending ankle injury in Week 7 last year. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times confirms that is the case and adds that left tackle Tristan Wirfs also plans to take part in the session.
Godwin will be a limited participant in practice and Thursday’s workout is set to be the start of a ramping up process that will take some time. Word last weekend was that Godwin is targeting a Week 5 return to game action and his response to the increased activity will determine whether he’s back on the field at that point.
Wirfs had knee surgery in July and will likely see a similar workload to Godwin as he gets back into playing shape. If all goes well, the Bucs should have both veterans in the lineup before too much more time has passed.
Buccaneers punt returner Kameron Johnson made an impact during Sunday’s win over the Falcons and now the league has recognized his efforts.
Johnson has been named NFC special teams player of the week.
Johnson, 23, recorded a 54-yard punt return on Sunday — the longest return of any punt in Week 1.
It was only the second time he’d returned a punt in his NFL career, as he returned one 11 yards last year.
It’s Johnson’s first player of the week award. He is now the first player from Barton College to earn a player of the week award.
The Buccaneers visit the Texans next Monday night, on the front end of a non-overlapping doubleheader.
Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield would rather not.
“I’m personally not a fan of later games,” Mayfield said on the Buccaneers Radio Network, via JoeBucsFan.com. “I just, by the end of the work week, you’re like, ‘OK, I’ve seen enough tape. I can’t watch any more of this defense. I’m not going to learn anything new at this point. Because if I learn something new I obviously didn’t do my job throughout the week.’ It’s just that long waiting game on game day. I’d rather wake up [and] go play because you’re just so amped up and ready for it.”
Monday’s start will be earlier than usual, since the first game starts at 7:00 p.m. ET. (Chargers-Raiders kicks off at 10:00 p.m. ET.) And it’ll be 6:00 p.m. ET in Houston, so maybe it’s not really a night game, technically?
Under coach Todd Bowles, the Buccaneers are 3-9 in night games.
The irony is that Mayfield made his NFL debut seven years ago this month, on a Thursday night against the Jets. After Tyrod Taylor suffered a concussion, Mayfield entered the game — and he led the Browns to a victory.
The Buccaneers made a late announcement about a change to their offensive line plans for Sunday’s opener against the Falcons, but the groundwork had been laid in practices leading up to Week 1.
Head coach Todd Bowles said at his Monday press conference that the team began giving projected starting center Graham Barton reps at left tackle “in case of emergency,” with Charlie Heck slated to start in place of the injured Tristan Wirfs. Bowles added that Barton “started looking better and better” and that Ben Bredeson “looked pretty good at center,” which led the coaches to realize “we probably need to do this” in order to maximize the group’s physicality.
The final piece of the shuffle was installing Michael Jordan at left guard, and the unit helped the Bucs to a 23-20 win. Bowles didn’t say what the plan will be against the Texans in Week 2, but it seems likely they’ll stick with what worked.
“We’ll see what it is this week,” Bowles said, via a team transcript. “I thought Graham, for the first time at tackle, played very well. I thought Bredeson did a very good job at center, especially controlling where the blitzes go and the pickups and everything like that. Michael Jordan played well at guard, as well. So, they played tough and they battled. You know, for those guys moving around, playing their first game at different positions, I thought they did a good job. Going forward, we’ll see.”
The Bucs hope to have Wirfs back in the next few weeks, but they won’t feel pressure to rush him if the current alignment continues to hold up.
