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Tampa Bay Buccaneers News & Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/12/22

January 12th, 2022 at 10:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:

Dallas Cowboys 

Green Bay Packers

Los Angeles Rams

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Vikings Request Interview With Bucs’ John Spytek

January 12th, 2022 at 10:07pm CST by Ely Allen

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, in their search to make their first general manager outside hire in over a decade, the Vikings have requested an interview with Buccaneers’ executive John Spytek (Twitter). Spytek is the current vice president of player personnel in Tampa Bay.

A Midwest-native, Spytek got his start as an operations intern for the Lions in 2004. He became a player personnel intern for the Eagles in 2005, taking only a year to earn a full-time college scouting assistant position. From Philadelphia, he moved to Cleveland to become their director of college scouting. After three seasons in the Browns’ organization, he spent about three more years in Denver before taking a position in the Buccaneers’ front office. He’s currently in his sixth season with Tampa Bay and his 18th in the NFL.

The connection to Minnesota is interesting due to Spytek’s connection to the Kubiak family from his time in Denver. Be sure to track the Vikings’ interest in Spytek and other candidates to replace Rick Spielman here.

Bucs Designate Lavonte David, Leonard Fournette, Giovani Bernard For Return

January 12th, 2022 at 2:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

After sustaining several injury subtractions down the stretch, the Buccaneers are preparing to deploy a healthier squad for their first-round playoff matchup. The defending champs designated Lavonte David, Leonard Fournette and Giovani Bernard for return from IR on Wednesday.

David has been down since suffering a foot injury during the Bucs’ Week 15 loss to the Saints, one of a few key Bucs who did not make it past that night. The veteran linebacker has spent the past three weeks on IR but is eligible to return for Sunday’s Eagles tilt. Also seeing an ankle malady sideline him earlier in the campaign, David missed five games during the regular season due to injury.

Joining David in going down in that Saints shutout loss, Fournette returned to practice and is expected to play Sunday. Fournette enjoyed a bounce-back season, rushing for 812 yards (on 4.5 per carry) in 14 games, before suffering a hamstring injury in Week 15. The playoffs stand to be pivotal for Fournette, who is on the cusp of what should be a better free agent market. The former top-five pick played a vital role for the Bucs during last year’s postseason, totaling 448 yards from scrimmage and scoring four touchdowns.

Bernard has been down a bit longer, missing that Saints tilt and having not played since Week 14. One of the few key newcomers for Tampa Bay this season, Bernard has not played much of a role for his second NFL team. The longtime Bengal has totaled just 181 scrimmage yards in 12 games.

The Bucs activated Shaquil Barrett from IR on Tuesday, and Bruce Arians also expects Jason Pierre-Paul to return after a rotator cuff tear sidelined him for the past four games. While Richard Sherman is done for the season, the Bucs stand to be a much healthier squad when they play their 18th game this season.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/11/22

January 11th, 2022 at 8:45pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Signed: WR John Hurst

Tennessee Titans

Buccaneers Activate Shaq Barrett, Place Richard Sherman On IR

January 11th, 2022 at 3:43pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Buccaneers received good and bad news on the health front Tuesday. The defending champions activated pass rusher Shaquil Barrett from the reserve/COVID-19 list but moved cornerback Richard Sherman to injured reserve for the second time, a move that ends his season. 

In 15 games this year, Barrett has produced 51 total tackles, three forced fumbles and a team-leading 10 sacks. His return would be a major boost to the team’s pass rush and defense as a whole. His play from a dominant postseason last year carried over into 2021, as he was voted to the Pro Bowl a second time.

Head coach Bruce Arians expects to also have fellow outside linebacker Jason-Pierre Paul back, along with starting running back Leonard Fournette.

As for Sherman, the fact that he was placed on IR again means his Achilles injury was too much to overcome in time for the playoffs. He missed the team’s regular-season finale and had only played sparingly since his first two contests in Tampa Bay. His 11th NFL season ends with him totaling 11 tackles and one interception.

The Bucs will look to defend their Super Bowl title, beginning Sunday afternoon when the host the Eagles.

Updated 2022 NFL Draft Order

January 10th, 2022 at 10:41am CST by Adam La Rose

The NFL’s first ever 17-game regular season is now over, and the 14-team playoff field is set. The end of the year also confirms, of course, the draft order for the top 18 picks, allowing the non-playoff clubs to begin planning for the offseason.

Despite their upset win on Sunday, the Jaguars will have the top selection for the second year in a row; this marks the fifth time a team has had back-to-back No. 1 picks, and the first since the Browns did in 2017-18.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2021 standings, plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. For playoff teams, the order is determined by their postseason outcome and regular season record.

Here is the final draft order (for non-playoff teams) along with the current projected order for the 14 postseason clubs:

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars: 3-14
  2. Detroit Lions: 3-13-1
  3. Houston Texans: 4-13
  4. New York Jets: 4-13
  5. New York Giants: 4-13
  6. Carolina Panthers: 5-12
  7. New York Giants(via Bears)
  8. Atlanta Falcons: 7-10
  9. Denver Broncos: 7-10
  10. New York Jets (via Seahawks)
  11. Washington Football Team: 7-10
  12. Minnesota Vikings: 8-9
  13. Cleveland Browns: 8-9
  14. Baltimore Ravens: 8-9
  15. Philadelphia Eagles (via Dolphins)
  16. Philadelphia Eagles (via Colts)
  17. Los Angeles Chargers: 9-8
  18. New Orleans Saints: 9-8
  19. Philadelphia Eagles: 9-8*
  20. Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-7-1*
  21. New England Patriots: 10-7*
  22. Miami Dolphins (via 49ers)*
  23. Las Vegas Raiders: 10-7*
  24. Arizona Cardinals: 11-6*
  25. Cincinnati Bengals: 10-7*
  26. Buffalo Bills: 11-6*
  27. Detroit Lions (via Rams)
  28. Dallas Cowboys: 12-5*
  29. Kansas City Chiefs: 12-5*
  30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 13-4*
  31. Tennessee Titans: 12-5*
  32. Green Bay Packers: 13-4*

* = Playoffs

Super Wild Card Weekend Set

January 9th, 2022 at 11:22pm CST by Ely Allen

The NFL’s first ever 18-week regular season has concluded and the playoffs are set to begin next weekend. With the final spots being decided in a Sunday Night Football thriller, we now know where everyone’s going and when they’ll be playing next.

Super Wild Card Weekend starts with the lower AFC Seeds on Saturday. We begin with the 5-Seed Las Vegas Raiders (10-7) as they head to Ohio to play the AFC North Champion 4-Seed Cincinnati Bengals (10-7) at 4:30PM ET. We follow that up with the 6-Seed New England Patriots (10-7) who head to upstate New York for their third match up of the season against the AFC East Champion 3-Seed Buffalo Bills at 8:15PM ET.

On Sunday, we see some NFC teams early to start out. Sunday kicks off with the 7-Seed Philadelphia Eagles (9-8) heading to Central Florida to face off against the NFC South Champion 2-Seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers (13-4) at 1:00PM ET. After that, the 6-Seed San Francisco 49ers (10-7) go into the Lone Star State to face off against the NFC East Champion 3-Seed Dallas Cowboys (12-5) at 4:30PM ET. We finish off Sunday night with the 7-Seed Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7-1) traveling into Missouri to play the AFC West Champion 2-Seed Kansas City Chiefs (12-5) at 8:15PM ET.

We’ll end our Super Wild Card Weekend on Monday Night, when the 5-Seed Arizona Cardinals (11-6) head back to SoCal for their third game of the season versus the NFC West Champion 4-Seed Los Angeles Rams (12-5) at 8:15PM ET.

 

Bucs, Vita Vea Agree To Extension

January 8th, 2022 at 9:17pm CST by Ely Allen

One of the premier defensive tackles in the NFL, Vita Vea agreed to a shiny, new contract tonight, extending his stay in Tampa Bay for another four years. The new deal, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, is worth over $73MM and will give Vea one of the six highest annual salaries for a defensive tackle in the NFL. 

The 12th overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, Vea has been a starter since his rookie season. Vea suffered fractures in his right leg and ankle in Week 5 of the 2020 season which forced him to miss the remaining eleven regular season games and the Buccaneers’ first two postseason games. Vea returned in time to help his squad win the NFC and Super Bowl LV over the Chiefs.

Vea’s new deal gives him the highest annual salary on the Buccaneers’ defense and second-highest salary on the roster behind only quarterback Tom Brady. In exchange, Tampa Bay has locked down the leader and future of their defensive line for the next four years.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/8/22

January 8th, 2022 at 4:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Saturday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Latest On Buccaneers’ Injury Situation

January 7th, 2022 at 9:43pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Buccaneers will be finishing the regular season with a number of key pieces missing. According to an injury update from ESPN’s Jenna Laine, Tampa Bay will be without their top two pass rushers, top two running backs and, in all likelihood, an experienced piece of the secondary. 

Outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett tested positive for COVID-19, which added another reason for him to miss Sunday’s game against Carolina. He is still recovering from a sprained MCL and ACL suffered during the team’s Week 16 win over the Panthers. In 15 games, Barrett has 51 tackles and a team-leading 10 sacks. His pass-rushing partner, Jason Pierre-Paul, will also be out due to a torn rotator cuff that’s kept him out since Week 15. Pierre-Paul has registered 31 tackles, 2.5 sacks and one forced fumble in 12 games in 2021. In their absences, look for Anthony Nelson and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka to start.

Meanwhile, backup running back Ronald Jones will be out after suffering an ankle injury in Week 17’s comeback win over the Jets. Head Coach Bruce Arians said, “we’ll have to wait and see on [Jones’] ankle because he can run straight but he still can’t cut”. The 24-year old had a walking boot on earlier in the week, but not any longer. Jones has 428 rushing yards and four touchdowns this season. Starter Leonard Fournette, in the meantime, remains on IR, but Arians is optimistic he will be ready for the playoffs. The Bucs would sorely miss his 1,266 scrimmage yards and 10 total touchdowns if doesn’t get activated in time. Ke’Shawn Vaughn is expected to play, and likely start, in Week 18.

Finally, cornerback Richard Sherman is listed as doubtful with an Achilles injury. After suffering a grade 2 calf sprain in November, the 33-year old came back in Week 14. However, he has missed two of three games since, and continued a downward trend in terms of playing time. After being on the field for nearly every down in his first two games as a Buc, Sherman has played a total of 29 snaps since, registering 11 tackles and one interception. Despite the news, Tampa Bay’s secondary is healthy overall.

The Buccaneers head into the final week of the season as the NFC’s third seed, where they will likely end up. They could move up to second, however, with a win over the 5-11 Panthers, along with a 49ers win over the Rams. Regardless of where they finish, though, health will be a huge question mark as they try to repeat as Super Bowl champions.

 

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