Latest news with #TampaBayBuccaneers
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
The Buccaneers are investigating offensive linemen
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers received some bad news when they found out star left tackle Tristan Wirfs would be missing the season's debut, and potentially a decent chunk of time after that. Wirfs' inability to play will be leaving the Bucs with genuinely gigantic shoes to fill. The in-house next man up is Charlie Heck, resident swing tackle. Heck was signed earlier this offseason to fill the role filled by Justin Skule for the last two years. Tampa Bay appeared to be all systems go with Charlie Heck until reports surfaced today, that perhaps the team is lacking complete and utter confidence in their backup swing tackle— Bringing in George Fant, a veteran tackle, for a workout. Fant is an interesting potential pickup for Tampa. He has played in 69 career games for three separate franchises, giving him experience, if nothing else. Tristan Wirfs is arguably the team's best individual player on any given Sunday and the Buccaneers have no chance of replacing him with anyone who is already on their roster or currently on the free agent market to be added. For the Buccaneers, the key will not be replacing Wirfs, rather finding a way trend water and manage the situation until he returns. Would George Fant help Tampa stay afloat? For more Bucs coverage check us out here: @Will_Walsh_NFL(X) @Bucs_Nation(X) @Will_Walsh_NFL(YouTube) More from Watch Charles Sims break ten ankles on one play Jameis Winston beats down Falcons defense Revenge for Mike Smith and Dirk Koetter? Watch: Winston and Evans are destroying the Falcons Jacquies Smith leaves Falcons game with knee injury Watch Jameis Winston's beautiful touchdown throw to Austin Seferian-Jenkins Buccaneers lead NFC South after one week
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Buccaneers 2025 training camp preview: Outside Linebacker
Uncertainty at outside linebacker ahead of training camp has become an annual tradition for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It has been four years since a Bucs edge rusher recorded double-digit sacks, and none of the outside linebackers currently on the roster recorded more than five last year. The Bucs are counting on the continued development of their young players and a key free agent to bolster the pass rush back to the levels it has not reached since their last Super Bowl run. The only big addition the Bucs made this offseason was signing edge Haason Reddick to a one-year deal. Reddick had been a perennial double-digit sack collector until last year, when a contract dispute with the Jets led to a truncated season in which he recorded just one sack. The hope is that Reddick will regain form in a situation free of contract drama. While he skipped most of the offseason programming to train on his own, there is no expectation that Reddick will be a malcontent in training camp, though his veteran status is likely to result in plenty of rest days. Entering his third season, Yaya Diaby is the long-term hope for the Bucs at edge rusher. While he only recorded 4.5 sacks last year, he was among the league's best in total pressures (70) and pass rush win percentage (18.1%) per PFF. His main goal heading into 2025 is to learn how to finish his pass rushes with the quarterback on the ground. Second-year linebacker Chris Braswell is hoping for a breakout of his own. With Joe Tryon-Shoyinka now in Cleveland and Reddick likely playing a pass rush specialist role, Braswell should see the field more than last season. The main newcomer is fourth-round pick David Walker. While he is making a big jump from Central Arkansas to the NFL, Walker was an absolute wrecking ball in college, recording 31 sacks and 63 tackles for a loss over three seasons. Walker lacks ideal length, but he plays with power and tenacity. His draft status all but ensures he will see plenty of action in training camp and the preseason. Veteran Anthony Nelson returns as reliable depth, though he is the last safe outside linebacker spot on the roster. If the Bucs carry six outside linebackers as they did to start the season last year, it will be a climactic battle between Jose Ramirez and Markees Watts. Both are undersized pass rush specialists who have seen limited NFL action over the last two seasons. Watts looked unstoppable in the preseason two years ago, but injuries robbed him of much action last year. Ramirez improved last preseason but made little impact in the little regular season action he got. Whoever wins the battle, his fight still isn't over, as talent at other parts of the roster could make the sixth outside linebacker too much of a luxury.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Top five NFL teams that might surprise everyone this season
Top five NFL teams that might surprise everyone this season (Image Via X) Training camp videos of deep passes to open practice have flooded social media this week. These clips spark hope that big plays are on the way when the NFL season starts in early September. We're looking at five teams that could make serious progress in their big‑play game in 2025. Some had deep threats last year, others changed coaches or added new weapons. All five have a real shot to be more explosive this year. Let's dive into why these teams stand out and who to watch when camp opens this July. Kansas City Chiefs : Patrick Mahomes and Xavier Worthy On July 17, at the Kansas City Chiefs' offseason workouts in Kansas City, quarterback Patrick Mahomes declared the team will 'test the defenses down the field' after a dip in their deep‑ball game. The Kansas City Chiefs added fast rookies like Xavier Worthy, the Combine's fastest 40‑yard sprinter, and veteran Jaylon Moore at left tackle to give Mahomes more protection. With these moves, Kansas City Chiefs aims to bounce back from a 2024 season that lacked long throws and explosive plays. Tampa Bay Buccaneers : Baker Mayfield, Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka In June, quarterback Baker Mayfield spoke in Tampa about boosting explosive plays downfield this season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ranked second in yards after catch but 29th in average air yards. Now with Chris Godwin returning from injury and rookie Emeka Egbuka joining the roster, Tampa Bay Buccaneers hope to stretch defenses more. If Baker Mayfield can launch deeper throws protected by Tristan Wirfs, even early-season, the Bucs might show off a more dynamic offense. Atlanta Falcons : Michael Penix Jr., Drake London, Darnell Mooney During May OTAs in Atlanta, quarterback coach T.J. Yates praised rookie Michael Penix Jr. for his aggressive arm and field vision. Penix Jr. led the team with a 10.2 average air yards per attempt in the final three 2024 games. With deep threats like Drake London and Darnell Mooney, plus more play-action work, Atlanta Falcons could lean on explosive passes more often this year. Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams, Coach Ben Johnson In July, at Chicago Bears mini‑camp in Chicago, new coach Ben Johnson said, 'I like big plays' and rejected sneak plays like the Tush Push. With rookie QB Caleb Williams, who showed creativity in college, plus upgraded receivers and revamped line, the Chicago Bears aim to transform from last‑place offense into a big‑play threat. Las Vegas Raiders: Geno Smith, Chip Kelly, Pete Carroll When training camp opens in late July in Nevada, the Las Vegas Raiders will debut new coach Pete Carroll alongside coordinator Chip Kelly and veteran QB Geno Smith, known for deep passing. After a stagnant offense in 2024, Las Vegas hopes Geno Smith's big arm and Carroll's leadership will bring more vertical plays in 2025. Also Read: How To Stream The 2025 NFL Flag Championships Live: Dates, Tv Channels, And Stream Info Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Packers signing rookie WR ahead of training camp
The Green Bay Packers are signing a rookie wide receiver ahead of Wednesday's start to training camp. According to multiple reports, the Packers will sign undrafted free agent Will Sheppard, a rookie out of Colorado, to the 90-man offseason roster. Sheppard (6-2, 203) originally agreed to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers following the 2025 NFL draft but failed his physical. He also participated at the Denver Broncos minicamp as a tryout player but was not signed. After four seasons at Vanderbilt, Sheppard transferred to Colorado and was an important player for the Buffaloes in 2024. He caught 48 passes for 621 yards and six touchdowns across 13 games. While Sheppard had five games with two or fewer catches, he also had a six-game stretch where he caught all six of his touchdown passes and Colorado went 5-1. Sheppard played almost exclusively out wide for Colorado. He averaged 1.22 yards per route run, per PFF, a relatively poor number at the college level, but Sheppard did catch 12 of 24 contested catch opportunities and only had two drops. He previously caught 152 passes for 2,067 yards and 21 touchdowns over 42 games at Vanderbilt. He caught nine touchdown passes in 2022 and eight more in 2023. Sheppard played more in the slot (roughly 20 percent of snaps) while at Vanderbilt and was a more efficient receiver overall, averaging 2.12 yards per route run in 2022 and 1.93 in 2023. Sheppard participated at the East-West Shrine Game. During pre-draft testing, Sheppard ran the 40-yard dash in 4.59 seconds -- a slow time for a receiver his size -- but also hit 40.5" in the vertical leap and covered 10-6 in the broad jump, giving him a Relative Athletic Score of 8.72. From Lance Zierlein of "Fifth-year senior with steady catch production over the last four seasons. Sheppard has good size and average speed. However, he will run routes below his optimal play speed and leaves too many routes unfinished. His ball skills are much better down the field than underneath and he toggles between a spectacular catch and a frustrating lack of catch finishing. He sees a high number of routes contested but lacks the feistiness to win those battles at a high enough rate." Sheppard joins a fascinating receiver group for the Packers featuring rookies Matthew Golden, Savion Williams and Sam Brown Jr. Sheppard was among a group of players working out for the Packers on Monday. Expect the signing to become official on Tuesday. This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers signing rookie WR Will Sheppard ahead of training camp
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Joe Morgan's acrobatic 48-yard touchdown catch is the Saints Play of the Day
Look up -- we're on Day 48 in our countdown to the New Orleans Saints' 20205 regular season opener, and today's pick for the Saints Play of the Day is easy. Joe Morgan shocked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with this leaping 48-yard touchdown catch back in 2014. You can see it for yourself right here. It had been a rough year for New Orleans. The Saints went into this game with a 1-4 record and were trailing by seven points going into halftime. So they took a bold shot; Drew Brees faked a handoff on a play-action pass, and Marques Colston and Lance Moore drew the coverage there way, freeing up Morgan. He had to adjust to an underthrown ball from Brees but that allowed him to duck under a defender's tackle. Then he flipped another Buccaneer off their feet and took a hit from a third Bucs defender while diving into the end zone. This is the kind of acrobatics you normally just see at the circus, but Morgan pulled it off on the football field. He only caught 10 passes in that 2012 season but he made the most of them. Morgan averaged 37.9 yards per reception that year, scoring three times. That turned out to be unsustainable in the long run, but it made for a great highlight reel. And it earned him a place in Saints history.
