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Bucs head coach Todd Bowles addressed the team’s injured players, including rookie defensive tackle Desmond Watson, who isn’t injured, but is on the Non-Football Illness list, after the team’s first training camp practice.

Veteran reserve inside linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. was not on the field on Wednesday as he’s listed on the Non-Football Injury list for an injury that occurred during the summer break. Bowles did not disclose what that injury is when addressing the media.

“Walker is probably week-to-week and Des is probably day-to-day,” Bowles said.

As for Watson, he was at practice on Wednesday but did not participate. For the first 30 minutes he was seen doing sprints with a team trainer in a conditioning-type drill.

Bowles said that Watson, who is clinically obese at well over 400 pounds, was placed on the NFI list due to his weight. It appears as if the Bucs gave Watson a target weight to hit on reporting day after the six-week break and he didn’t reach that goal. Bowles wasn’t necessarily unhappy with Watson’s weight loss progress, but indicated he has more work to do before he can practice with the team.

Bucs DT Desmond Watson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“I’m pleased, it’s just about trying to get him to better, to be a healthier player on the field,” Bowles said. “That’s kind of where I’m at right now. He’s working at it and we’re working with him and that’s all you can ask from him right now.

“We have some things we have in mind with him where we want to see him at. We need to monitor that and to get him where we think he needs to be and go from there.”

Watson’s listed weight on the Bucs roster hasn’t changed sine his reporting weight of 449 pounds, but the team generally is slow to update the roster. Watson weighed 464 pounds back in April at his pro day at the University of Florida.

“He’s made some progress,” Bowles said. “I don’t have a timetable on what we can get him down to and when that comes. He’s from Armwood [High School] and went to Florida, so he’s used to the heat. So that’s not a big factor. We’ll have to see what happens.”

Todd Bowles Gives Injury Updates On Bucs LT Tristan Wirfs, WR Chris Godwin

Bucs left tackle Tristan Wirfs watched the first training camp practices on crutches, but was able to put his weight on his surgically-repaired right knee. Head coach Todd Bowles indicated that the team believed Wirfs’ minor knee injury would heal on its own during the offseason, but that didn’t happen and he and the team ran out of time and had to get surgery scheduled in early July.

“It didn’t heal and had to be done,” Bowles said. “It’s not a murder mystery about what happened. It’s about getting better and he’s in great spirits.”

Wirfs is expected to miss all of training camp and the preseason and there is a chance he could wind up on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list at the start of the regular season, which would cause him to miss the first four games of the 2025 campaign.

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

As for wide receiver Chris Godwin, he was not seen at practice and remained inside One Buccaneer Place. Godwin has yet to do any jogging or running – let alone cutting or receiver drills – outside on the grass at any point during his recovery.

“He’s coming along great,” Bowles said. “I mean he’s on track. We need to see what the process is for him to get out on the field and do some things. We’ll continue to listen to the doctors and the trainers. He’s in great spirits as well. Again, I don’t have a timeline on that but hopefully it will be soon.”

There is an outside chance that Godwin may play in the season opener at Atlanta on September 7, but that seems very optimistic.

“Don’t know for sure,” Bowles said. “I’m hopeful. All I can say right now is that I’m hopeful. As he gets better and it goes on, we’ll see how close he comes when it gets to that time.”

The other injured player that Bowles discussed was defensive tackle Greg Gaines, who missed the entire offseason with an undisclosed injury and was seen sprinting with a trainer during the start of practice on a nearby practice field.

“He’s week-to-week as well,” Bowles said.