INTRO: The Bucs are preparing to play their second preseason game against the Steelers in Pittsburgh on Saturday night, and this SR’s FAB 5 column will serve as a current state of the 2025 Bucs address. Tampa Bay has accomplished a lot so far, but there is still some work that needs to be done by general manager Jason Licht, head coach Todd Bowles and the front office prior to the start of the season. Enjoy!

FAB 1. Tristan Wirfs To Avoid PUP To Start The Season?

Do not be surprised if the Bucs avoid putting left tackle Tristan Wirfs on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list to start the season. Wirfs is making some good progress in healing from his MCL surgery in early July. If there is a chance that he could play in any of the first four games of the year, the team will not place him on the PUP list.

Wirfs, who did not travel with the team to Pittsburgh, might miss the first couple of games of the season as he would need time to get into football shape once he’s cleared medically to return to practice. But if there is a chance he could play in Week 3 at home against the Jets or in Week 4 against the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles, the Bucs want to create a scenario were that could happen. Putting Wirfs on PUP would automatically disqualify him for the first four games of the season.

General manager Jason Licht said he doesn’t want to rush Wirfs back from his knee surgery, indicating he would like him to be 100% healthy when he returns so he could be best prepared for the long haul of the 2025 season. Wirfs suffered the MCL injury in Week 10 against the 49ers and missed the Giants game in Week 12, yet he returned for the final six games of the season and wound up having a Pro Bowl and All-Pro season.

Having a 65-70% Wirfs at left tackle is better than a 100% Charlie Heck at left tackle. That’s the truth.

Bucs LT Charlie Heck – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

I think the Bucs will be cautious with Wirfs – unless disaster strikes early in the season. And by that, I mean a disappointing 0-2 start.

If Tampa Bay loses at Atlanta and at Houston and Heck is struggling, you watch – this team will trot Wirfs out there for the Jets game because the Bucs cannot afford to start 0-3. And before you think the Jets might be a push over, the strength of their team might be their edge rushers – a pair of former first-rounders.

Will McDonald IV had 10.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in a breakout season in 2024, which was his second in New York. Jermaine Johnson just got activated from the PUP list after missing 15 games last year due to a torn Achilles tendon. He had 7.5 sacks and a forced fumble in 2023 before tearing his Achilles in the second game of the year in 2024.

The Bucs believe they can get by with Heck at left tackle for a few games if necessary. We’ve seen in practice how offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard plans to help Heck and navigate the play-calling around him, and it’s a sound strategy. Sorry, I can’t give away specifics, but what Grizzard is doing is limiting Heck having to pass protect one-on-one too often, which is the right thing to do to protect quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Bucs LT Tristan Wirfs – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

If I had to guess, I think Wirfs misses the season opener at Atlanta. If his rehab accelerates over the next three weeks, I think there is a chance he dresses for the Monday Night Football game at Houston as a reserve in case Heck struggles. The Texans have a dangerous duo at defensive end in Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, who had 11 and 12 sacks last year, respectively.

Ideally, the Bucs would love for Wirfs to return for that one – to either build upon an opening day win and improve to 2-0 or right the ship after a possible loss in Atlanta and at least be 1-1 heading into the home opener in Week 3 versus the Jets. We’ll see what happens over the next month, as that Monday night matchup is exactly a month away.

The good news is that Wirfs has been walking around carrying his crutches more often than he is using them. And he has not had a brace or a sleeve on his knee for the past two weeks.

Get well soon, Tristan – emphasis on soon.

FAB 2. Mike Evans Will Go Off Early This Season

Who has been the best player in Bucs training camp this year? It’s easily been Mike Evans.

It shouldn’t be the aging wide receiver because … well … Evans is about to turn 32. He should be slowing down. He should be showing his age.

But he’s not. Evans has been dominant in camp.

The only defender that can truly guard him is 6-foot-2, 200-pound Zyon McCollum. But even then, Evans will still find a way to catch the ball and score touchdowns despite McCollum’s sticky coverage.

Evans’ route-running has improved with age, much like how Michael Jordan developed a nearly unstoppable fadeaway jumper that served him well in his 30s when he could no longer play above the rim. It’s almost like Evans teleports to open spaces on the field. The amount of separation he creates is just crazy to watch.

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Part of that is new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard continuing what Liam Coen started last year, which is lining up Evans more in the slot. Evans’ career rate in the slot is 26.9%, but from Week 12 on when he returned from a hamstring injury, Evans lined up in the slot 37.8%. Over the course of the entire 2024 season, Evans lined up in the slot 34.5%, which was the third-highest of his career behind only the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

The LA Rams-based offense that Coen imported last year features the slot receiver, but in a different way than Bruce Arians’ offense did. The passing game ran through the slot on more vertical routes down the seam under Arians, but the Sean McVay offense attacks the middle of the field differently on slants and crossers from the slot, designed to create yards after the catch.

Think former Rams Pro Bowler Cooper Kupp and current Rams star Puka Nacua.

Last year, Chris Godwin was featured in the slot and started off the season hot. Through the first seven weeks of the 2024 campaign, Godwin had 50 catches for 576 yards and five touchdowns. He was on pace to catch 121 passes for 1,398 yards and score 12 touchdowns before his season-ending ankle injury against Baltimore on Monday Night Football in Week 7.

We were all wondering if Evans was actually going to hit 1,000 yards in 2024 after he suffered his hamstring injury versus the Ravens, as he only had 26 catches for 335 yards and six touchdowns in the first seven games of the season.

This year with Godwin likely out at least the first four games of the season, look for Evans to build upon his spectacular training camp and start the season hot. Perhaps the way Godwin did a year ago.

Bucs WR Mike Evans Photo by: USA Today

Rookie Emeka Egbuka will start in the slot in place of Godwin and has looked tremendous in camp. But Evans will also see time in the slot too, particularly when Grizzard deploys a bunch formation with trips (three receivers) to one side.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield is building a rapport with Egbuka, but already has a strong connection with Evans, who will be his most trusted receiver on the field at all times with Godwin out. Look for Mayfield to force the ball to Evans at times as a result, so Evans should put up nearly equal numbers as Egbuka will to start the season. Lining up Evans in the slot will make it more difficult to double team the future Hall of Famer as a result.

And the times when Evans does draw a double team, the Bucs have a pair of stellar young receivers ready to make plays in Egbuka and Jalen McMillan. Pencil in another record 1,000-yard season for Evans as long as No. 13 stays healthy.

FAB 3. Chris Godwin Will Start The Year On PUP

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles knows defense. He’s a defensive mastermind with his ability to stop the run and dial up some exotic looks and blitzes.

But Bowles is not good at medical diagnosis or prognostications. He famously said he expects everyone to be ready for training camp at the end of the team’s mini-camp in June – only to have left tackle Tristan Wirfs, wide receiver Chris Godwin and former quarterback Michael Pratt on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list, linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. on the non-football injury list and defensive tackle Desmond Watson on the non-football illness list.

Bowles had also optimistically hoped that Godwin could be ready for the season opener.

Godwin will not be ready by the season opener and should start the season on the PUP list, as I alluded to in a recent Pewter Pulse video I did. Godwin had another medical procedure done on his injured ankle this offseason after having the initial surgery last fall after suffering a dislocation and likely fracture in the Week 7 loss to Baltimore. The team said that procedure wasn’t a surprise, but it sure seems like a setback in Godwin’s recovery.

Bucs WRs Chris Godwin and Mike Evans and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

A severe dislocation and fracture could take a full year to recover from. That would mean that Godwin might not return to action until October. Being placed on PUP would require Godwin to miss at least the first four games of the season.

He would be eligible to return for the team’s Week 5 matchup against the Seahawks in Seattle on October 5 – if he’s ready by then. Godwin’s injury against Baltimore occurred on October 21 last year.

As I’ve reported before, when Godwin suffered a serious knee injury against New Orleans on December 19 at the end of the 2021 season, he returned to practice on August 5 during the second week of practice in the 2022 training camp with a bulky knee brace. While Godwin was held out of the preseason, he did return for the Cowboys game in the 2022 season opener.

As of August 15, Godwin has yet to even jog on a separate field with a team trainer during camp this year – much less cut on his surgically-repaired ankle or run routes. The fact that overweight rookie defensive tackle Desmond Watson is running on a separate field and Godwin isn’t this late in training camp tells me that Godwin isn’t close to returning by September and that he’ll miss the first four weeks – at least.

FAB 4. Bucs Need Chris Braswell To Come On Strong – Or Find Another Pass Rusher

When Yaya Diaby was off the field getting a breather last year, the Bucs had no outside pass rusher.

Former first-round pick Joe Tryon-Shoyinka was a lost cause because he was too finesse. Rookie Chris Braswell, the team’s second-round pick, was slow to develop. Veteran Anthony Nelson is solid, but not spectacular. Reserves Markees Watts and Jose Ramirez did not move the needle as undersized pass rushers.

Tampa Bay was hoping that Braswell would develop under new outside linebackers coach Larry Foote in his second season and that rookie David Walker, the team’s fourth-round pick, would give the Bucs a second wave of edge rushers that could cause some problems when Diaby and fellow starter Haason Reddick are out of the game.

Bucs OLB Haason Reddick – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Walker’s ACL injury was devastating because he had shown to be a menace early in camp after dominating in the rookie mini-camp and some early reps in OTAs. He was likely going to be OLB3 this year because he’s such a natural pass rusher, evidenced by nearly 40 sacks in college.

Braswell’s preseason debut at Tennessee was so disappointing from a pass rush standpoint that the team kept him in the game into the third quarter. Braswell didn’t come close to the QB once on Saturday night, although he did play the run quite well.

But that’s not why the Bucs spent a second-round draft pick on the Alabama product. Teams draft pass rushing edge rushers on Day 2. Run-stuffing ends are plentiful and can be found on Day 3.

If Braswell doesn’t show signs of life as a pass rusher in Pittsburgh on Saturday night or in the preseason finale versus Buffalo, general manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles will be forced to look for another capable edge rusher in free agency or via a trade. Tampa Bay cannot head into what could be a Super Bowl season without another edge rusher that can threaten the quarterback.

When Reddick and Diaby are off the field, the Bucs’ pass rush cannot fall off a cliff. And an injury to either Reddick or Diaby would be disastrous, as it would put the Bucs’ edge rushers in the same boat as they were in last year.

Bucs OLB Chris Braswell – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

It would be great if either Watts or Ramirez emerged as OLB5, but neither appears to be that guy. This is year three for both of them, and as Foote has wisely said, by year three a player is who he’s destined to be by then. Watts and Ramirez appear to be more practice squad edge rushers than game day edge rushers.

And undrafted free agent Warren Peeples, who had a sack versus the Titans, is only 230 pounds. He has some speed and quickness off the edge, but can get steamrolled in the running game and will be a liability in that aspect of his game until he adds more size.

I’ve been told that 32-year old Shaq Barrett is done. And Matthew Judon, 33, looked done last year in Atlanta.

Za’Darius Smith is also 32, but had nine sacks for the Lions last year. He’s rumored to be dating rapper Kash Doll again after their breakup, so is he still focused on playing another year in the NFL or is he done?

Jadeveon Clowney is 32 as well, and he’s a free agent. He racked up 5.5 sacks for the Panthers last year in 14 games after posting 9.5 sacks in Baltimore in 2023. Despite a ton of talent, Clowney is looking for his seventh team in the last eight years.

I’m not sure the Bucs want to trade for Cowboys Pro Bowler Micah Parsons given what it would take to make that deal happen from a player/draft pick standpoint. Or that Tampa Bay would want to trade for Bengals Pro Bowler Trey Hendrickson for the same reason, but both could be dealt for.

Keep an eye on Braswell over the next two weeks. What happens – or doesn’t happen – with him could force Licht and Bowles to make a move for another edge rusher.

FAB 5. Talented Bucs Are Really Only Looking For 10 Players

When the Tennessee Titans came to town last week, they looked like a team that was in the first year of a rebuild. The Titans have a new coach and a new quarterback in Cam Ward, the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft by virtue of Tennessee being the worst team in football last year.

Teams like that are using training camp and the preseason to rebuild the roster. There could be as many as 20-25 new Titans on this year’s team because last year’s team wasn’t good enough.

The Bucs have been through this situation before with roster overhauls as the team has changed coaches – and at times general managers – through the last couple of decades. But that’s not the case anymore in Tampa Bay.

Bucs GM Jason Licht and HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs’ 2025 roster is ultra-talented. Several great drafts by general manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles have been bolstered by successful free agent signings. As a result, Tampa Bay has continued to win NFC South titles while increasing its regular season win totals from eight in 2022 to nine in 2023 to 10 last year.

The Bucs have their eye on making a serious Super Bowl push this season and have a supremely talented roster to do it. Because of that, Super Bowl-contending teams like Tampa Bay only need to use training camp and the preseason to find maybe 10-12 players for depth purposes and to build out their practice squad.

To illustrate this point, I’ve listed 43 players who will certainly make Tampa Bay’s 53-man roster barring injury right now. That means there is a battle going on to be one of the remaining 10 players to make the 2025 Bucs roster as a backup and special teams performer.

Projected Bucs Offensive Players – 20

QB 1 Baker Mayfield
QB2 Kyle Trask
RB1 Bucky Irving
RB2 Rachaad White
RB3 Sean Tucker
TE1 Cade Otton
TE2 Payne Durham
TE3 Devin Culp
WR1 Mike Evans
WR2 Chris Godwin
WR3 Emeka Egbuka
WR4 Jalen McMillan
WR5 Tez Johnson
LT Tristan Wirfs
LG Ben Bredeson
C Graham Barton
RG Cody Mauch
RT Luke Godeke
OT Charlie Heck
G-C Elijah Klein

Projected Bucs Defensive Players – 20

OLB1 Haason Reddick
OLB2 Yaya Diaby
OLB3 Anthony Nelson
OLB4 Chris Braswell
DT1 Vita Vea
DT2 Calijah Kancey
DT3 Logan Hall
DT4 Greg Gaines
DT5 Elijah Roberts
ILB1 Lavonte David
ILB2 SirVocea Dennis
ILB3 Anthony Walker Jr.
ILB4 Deion Jones
CB1 Zyon McCollum
CB2 Jamel Dean
CB3 Jacob Parrish
CB4 Benjamin Morrison
S1 Antonie Winfield Jr.
S2 Tykee Smith
S3 Christian Izien

Projected Bucs Specialists – 3

K Chase McLaughlin
P Riley Dixon
LS Eric Deckers

I would’ve included rookie defensive back J.J. Roberts on this list, as he is the backup nickelback and a reserve safety, but I’m not sure how severe his leg injury is after leaving practice early on Thursday in Pittsburgh. I had Roberts on my initial 53-man roster projection in last week’s SR’s FAB 5.

I also feel pretty good about fourth-string tight end and special teams ace Ko Kieft and special teams star gunner Josh Hayes making the team, so now we’ve gone from 10 available roster spots to just eight if Kieft and Hayes are on the 53, as expected.

This is a very enviable position for the Bucs to be in heading into this season, and one of the reasons why Tampa Bay should be considered as a serious Super Bowl contender in 2025.