Tampa Bay Buccaneers

White rushed 272 times for 990 yards and six touchdowns in a breakout sophomore season, and while he showed a strong three-down skill set, he averaged a disappointing 3.6 yards per carry. Tampa Bay's shaky run blocking contributed to White's inefficiency, but after two consecutive seasons well under 4.0 YPC, White could lose out on some early down touches to Irving if the rookie hits the ground running in the NFL. Irving exceeded 1,000 rushing yards in both of his last two years at Oregon.

Palmer has failed to haul in a pass over the last two regular-season games, as he's seen his playing time diminish while playing behind Evans, Godwin and McMillan. However, with McMillan unlikely to play Sunday, Palmer has an opportunity to earn a larger role for himself in the offense if he can establish himself as a reliable target for quarterback Baker Mayfield. Palmer played in all 17 regular-season games for Tampa Bay in 2023, and he finished with 39 catches on 68 targets for 385 yards and three touchdowns.

Irving was limited in two practices and a DNP in another this week due to a hamstring injury, while White was added to Saturday's injury report due to an illness, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. Tucker has played just three offensive snaps this season and turned his lone carry into four yards, but the undrafted rookie could be in line for significant playing time if White and/or Irving were unable to play Sunday.

Irving is off to a solid start to his NFL career, rushing for 154 yards with an average of 6.2 yards per carry in his first three games.

One of Tampa Bay's most important defenders, Winfield is coming off an All-Pro season in which he racked up 122 tackles, six sacks and three interceptions while tying for the NFL lead with six forced fumbles. With the star safety likely out, the Bucs' defense isn't shaping up to be a recommended play for this week's game against the potent Lions.

Godwin broke a tie with Jimmie Giles on a four-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter. He actually lost ground on the franchise leader, though, as Mike Evans caught two touchdowns to raise his franchise-record mark to 96 receiving touchdowns.

There's been considerable buzz that Irving could overtake Rachaad White as the lead back in Tampa Bay, so this wouldn't be all that much of a surprise -- particularly in a week running back class. Graziano points to White's inefficiency on the ground -- he's averaged only 3.7 yards per carry through two pro seasons -- and the fact that Irving has impressed during training camp to back up his assertion. His case is also strengthened by the fact that Panthers second-rounder Jonathon Brooks will begin the season on the PUP list as he continues to recover from a torn ACL.

Thompson finished the preseason strong with a seven-catch, 45-yard performance against the Dolphins on Friday. He finished the preseason with 15 catches for 137 yards and one touchdown, which led all Bucs wide receivers. Thompson's playmaking and blocking ability was on full display during preseason games and training camp practices, and Laine believes the 28-year-old wideout will be the fifth wide receiver on the depth chart behind Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan and Trey Palmer.

Wolford suffered a rib injury that caused his exit from the Buccaneers' second preseason contest, but he was back at practice Monday. Nevertheless, once Trask took over from Baker Mayfield after the latter's first-quarter cameo, he went the rest of the way for Tampa Bay on Friday. The third-year signal-caller completed 17 of 24 passes for 141 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions against Miami's reserves, almost certainly cementing the No. 2 role for the second straight season. Greg Auman of FOXSports.com reports Trask talked up the value of the extended opportunity he received Friday, particularly key for a player that has only 10 regular-season pass attempts in his first two years but is one big hit on Mayfield away from having to step in.

Edmonds spent the 2023 season in Tampa Bay, though he played nearly as many snaps on special teams as he did with the offensive unit. Bucky Irving, a 2024 fourth-round pick, has impressed in camp and appears to be second on the depth chart. Irving's emergence places additional pressure on Edmonds, who may be forced to look for employment with his fifth team in as many seasons.

Diaby was thought to potentially have suffered a much more serious injury when he initially went down, but Rapoport reports the updated diagnosis of a high-ankle sprain carries a 4-to-6-week recovery timeline. The 2023 third-round pick showed great promise as a rookie with 7.5 sacks across 17 regular-season games in what was mostly a rotational role, and he's being counted on as the starter at left outside linebacker in head coach Todd Bowles' scheme heading into 2024.

The deal contains more than $88 million guaranteed and locks Wirfs, a one-time All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler, in with the Buccaneers for what should be the prime years of his career. The 2020 first-round pick was set to play out the 2024 season on his fifth-year option had a deal not been reached, and now that it has, Wirfs will be able to participate in padded practices for the first time in training camp.

The left tackle skipped OTAs but showed up for mandatory minicamp during the offseason program, and he discussed his participation level with head coach Todd Bowles prior to the start of training camp. Wirfs is set to make $18.24 million in 2024 on the final year of his rookie contract, but after Vikings left tackle Christian Darrisaw signed a four-year, $113 million extension last week, he's looking for significantly more security.

The veteran signal-caller's deal isn't particularly long, but for a player like Mayfield whose future was in significant doubt following a 2022 campaign during which he played for two different teams, it gives him a sense of stability. Mayfield feels he can finally '"settle in" with Tampa Bay and notes that when he's had a chance to do that before, "good things happen." Mayfield will have the benefit of working with all his top pass catchers from his successful 2023, including running back Rachaad White, and also saw the team sign one-time college teammate Sterling Shepard this offseason.

There were high hopes for Tryon-Shoyinka after he was taken with the final pick of the first round out of Washington in the 2021 NFL Draft. Tryon-Shoyinka has recorded 114 tackles, including 13 sacks, over 51 regular-season games, but more was expected over the course of the 1,924 snaps he's played in that span. Tryon-Shoyinka now has some young noteworthy competition as well, considering second-year pro YaYa Diaby and rookie second-round pick Chris Braswell are both talented enough to officially render Tryon-Shoyinka expendable after this season.

After a tumultuous 2022 season that saw Mayfield lose the starting job with the Panthers before finishing the year with the Rams, the 2020 first overall pick caught on with the Buccaneers as the replacement for the retiring Tom Brady. Mayfield went on to earn his first Pro Bowl bid, finishing the 2023 regular season with 4,044 passing yards and 28 touchdowns, both career highs. With Tampa Bay bringing back wide receiver Mike Evans and safety Antoine Winfield, Mayfield is confident that the Bucs can repeat as NFC South champions, noting "the division still runs through us."

Godwin posted 83 catches for 1,024 yards and two touchdowns in the 2023 regular season, marking his lowest touchdown total since his rookie season in 2017 and his second-lowest reception total over the past five seasons. That down year came with Godwin shifting more to the perimeter, but the Buccaneers intend to use him mostly out of the slot in 2024, which could set the veteran wide receiver up for a productive season in a contract year.

White cited the Buccaneers' recent futility on the ground as motivation, as they haven't had a 1,000-yard rusher since Doug Martin in 2015. However, White's best chance to top that milestone may have already passed, as he had 272 regular-season rushing attempts in 2023 -- tied for the second most in the league -- but averaged just 3.6 yards per carry and fell 10 yards short of 1,000. His volume is also very likely to go down in 2024 due to the addition of Bucky Irving in the fourth round of the NFL Draft.

Mike Evans was not participating Wednesday, and Trey Palmer also sat out for a second straight day for undisclosed reasons, so McMillan was in Mayfield's sights plenty. Laine notes the rookie caught a red-zone touchdown Tuesday before hauling in all three targets from Mayfield on Wednesday. "He's really friendly at the top of his routes, attacks the ball, catches with his hands. Just explosive, a smooth route runner," Mayfield said.

Wirfs did not attend offseason practices as he seeks a new contract, meaning he last took part in official football activities during the team's postseason loss to the Lions. As a result, the Bucs want to ease him back into on-field work to avoid the risk of injury. The team is reportedly not particularly concerned with Wirfs' current situation and is confident that a long-term agreement between the parties will be reached.

Most players not in attendance for mandatory minicamp are seeking a contract extension, though that isn't the case for Gregory, as he signed a one-year contract worth up to $5 million with the Buccaneers this offseason. The reason behind his absences aren't officially known, though Gregory has a pending lawsuit against the NFL regarding a $500,000 fine he received for using THC with a prescription. Assuming he returns to the field, Gergory should work as a pass-rush specialist.

Palmer exceeded expectations as a rookie a year ago, taking a hold of the No. 3 job as the 2023 season unfolded while forging a 39-385-3 line across 17 games and logging 676 snaps from scrimmage. Palmer added a 56-yard touchdown grab against the Eagles in the Buccaneers' wild-card win and also recorded a pair of receptions in the divisional-round loss to the Lions, but Shepard arrives as a proven commodity that has college experience with Baker Mayfield, albeit one whose last fully healthy season came back in 2018.

Shepard arrives on a one-year deal after three consecutive forgettable seasons with the Giants, two of which were cut short by Achilles and ACL tears. Mayfield and Shepard were teammates at Oklahoma in 2015 and connected for 11 touchdowns, and the veteran wideout's addition gives the former another proven weapon beyond the top duo of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

Shepard scored 11 touchdowns in his senior season at Oklahoma back in 2015 with Mayfield as his quarterback. The veteran wideout essentially saw his 2021 and 2022 seasons with the Giants wiped out by Achilles and ACL tears, respectively, playing in just 10 of a possible 34 regular-season games in that span. Shepard, who did suit up for 15 games last season but was an afterthought in New York's offense, will have a chance to compete for the No. 3 receiver role in Tampa Bay.

Tampa Bay has been busy this offseason locking up its core players, with Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans and Lavonte David all getting re-signed prior to Winfield's record-breaking contract. Wirfs would be next on the list, as the offensive tackle has been a three-time Pro Bowler since being drafted with the 13th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Wirfs is set to make $18.24 million in 2024 on the final season of his rookie contract.

The Bucs have had one of the worst rushing attacks in the league in each of the last two seasons. White is projected to remain the lead back, but Irving will immediately contribute as a receiver and is also expected to earn some carries in a rotational role. Running backs coach Skip Peete also noted that he believes in competition, so it's possible that Irving's role will expand if he proves to be effective.

The Buccaneers took McMillan late in the third round in the 2024 NFL Draft, 92nd overall. He played alongside ninth overall pick Rome Odunze and second-round pick Ja'Lynn Polk in Washington. McMillan should be able to reprise a similar role in Tampa Bay, especially with Godwin set to move back into the slot position while Evans assumes the WR1 role. McMillan's best season with the Huskies was in 2022, when he caught 79 passes for 1,098 yards and nine touchdowns.

White rushed 272 times for 990 yards and six touchdowns in a breakout sophomore season, and while he showed a strong three-down skill set, he averaged a disappointing 3.6 yards per carry. Tampa Bay's shaky run blocking contributed to White's inefficiency, but after two consecutive seasons well under 4.0 YPC, White could lose out on some early down touches to Irving if the rookie hits the ground running in the NFL. Irving exceeded 1,000 rushing yards in both of his last two years at Oregon.