Minor NFL Transactions: 11/26/18
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Claimed off waivers (Seahawks): TE Darrell Daniels
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DB Darian Thompson
New York Giants
- Signed: TE Garrett Dickerson
- Placed on injured reserve: WR Quadree Henderson
Oakland Raiders
- Signed off Ravens’ practice squad: TE Darren Waller
- Waived: WR Johnny Holton
- Placed on injured reserve: DE Jacquies Smith
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DE Demone Harris
- Waived: S Godwin Igwebuike
Howard Injury Not Longterm
- Promising Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard had his season ended last week by an ankle injury, but he did get some good news. Bucs coach Dirk Koetter announced that Howard’s injury wasn’t as bad as some initially thought and “won’t require surgery and shouldn’t be a long-term issue”, according to Scott Smith of the Buccaneers’ official website (Twitter link). It’s great news, and Howard should be poised to become one of the best tight ends in the league in 2019.
Evan Smith Suffered Torn Labrums
- Buccaneers offensive lineman Evan Smith suffered torn labrums in both hips, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). The veteran will have surgery in New York next Monday. The 32-year-old had appeared in seven games with Tampa Bay this season, serving primarily in a backup role. The team placed him on the injured reserve last week.
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Minor NFL Transactions: 11/20/18
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: CB David Amerson
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Chris Jones, WR Jalen Tolliver
- Released: DE Vontarrius Dora
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed from Eagles practice squad: OL Josh Andrews
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DB Josh Shaw
Buccaneers Place O.J. Howard On IR
The Buccaneers have placed tight end O.J. Howard on IR, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). The tight end suffered foot and ankle injuries in Sunday’s 38-35 loss to the Giants and those issues will require extra time to heal. 
With that, Howard’s second season as a pro will end with 34 catches for 565 yards and five 5 touchdowns. On the plus side, the injury is not expected to hurt him in the long run, so he should be ready to participate in practices next summer.
The Howard injury should mean an uptick in targets for fellow tight end Cameron Brate. Brate has shined in the past, but he has recorded just six grabs for 45 yards and no touchdowns in the past three games.
Head coach Dirk Koetter badly needs Brate to step up in Howard’s absence. The team’s 3-7 record has Koetter on the hot seat and he’ll need a strong finish in order to save his job.
Bucs To Start Jameis Winston Vs. 49ers
The Buccaneers will turn the starting job back over to quarterback Jameis Winston for Sunday’s game against the 49ers, according to Scott Smith of the team website (on Twitter). The move was expected after Winston played well in relief of Ryan Fitzpatrick on Sunday. 
After entering Sunday’s game against the Giants, Winston completed 12 of his 16 passes for 199 yards with two touchdowns and an interception on the final play of the game. Winston led the Bucs to touchdowns on four straight drives, leaving coaches with more confidence in him than in Fitzpatrick, who lobbed three interceptions.
The 3-7 Bucs are likely out of the playoff picture, but these final six games will be crucial to Winston’s future with Tampa Bay. Winston is under club control through the 2019 campaign via the fifth-year option, but the option is guaranteed for injury only and the Bucs can escape the hefty $20.9MM price tag if they want to. There’s a risk that Winston falters and suffers a serious injury down the stretch, but head coach Dirk Koetter is on the hot seat and aiming to win now.
Bucs’ Beckwith Will Not Play This Season
Linebacker Kendell Beckwith will not be able to play this season, coach Dirk Koetter announced (Twitter link via Greg Auman of The Athletic). Beckwith suffered a broken ankle in a car accident in the spring and he did not recover as quickly as the team hoped. 
The former LSU star could have provided depth in the wake of injuries to Kwon Alexander and Lavonte David, but they’ll have to get by without him. This week, the Bucs will be forced to move him from the non-football injury (NFI) list to another reserve list.
Last year, the Bucs used Beckwith at all three linebacker spots as he appeared in all 16 games with eleven starts. The 23-year-old had 73 total tackles on the year, including a 14-tackle game against the Patriots in the first month of the season. Beckwith wasn’t originally ticketed for a starting role, but he wound up playing on 847 snaps as a rookie after being selected in the third round of the draft.
With David out for the year, the Bucs are moving forward with Devante Bond, Adarius Taylor, and David as their starters. But, if David continues to miss time, Riley Bullough will run with the first-string unit.
Todd Monken To Call Bucs’ Plays In Week 11
Dirk Koetter took back the Buccaneers’ play-calling reins last week, but the team made history with a 501-yard, three-point showing. The third-year head coach won’t be sending in plays Sunday.
Offensive coordinator Todd Monken will return to his play-calling post against the Giants, Koetter said Friday (via Greg Auman of The Athletic, on Twitter). Tampa Bay’s OC had called the shots prior to Koetter taking over against Washington. Koetter debated this decision throughout the week.
Both coaches are surely on the hot seat for the 3-6 Bucs, who have lost five of their past six games. Koetter was viewed as a hot-seat occupant last season until he was surprisingly given a third season to right this ship. With that having not occurred to this point, Koetter and his staff may be on the verge of offseason relocations.
Despite Jameis Winston failing to deliver this season, Monken’s offense still ranks first in total yardage and 12th in points. Those marks are well north of the Koetter-led 2017 Bucs’ placements (ninth and 18th, respectively). Ryan Fitzpatrick is completing 67 percent of his passes and is still averaging nearly 10 yards per attempt. Against Washington, though, the Bucs set a record by becoming the only team to surpass 450 yards and produce three or fewer points.
Tampa Bay has never led the league in total offense, coming closest during Koetter’s final season as OC (fifth in 2015). Although doing so for a team that’s careening out of the playoff race would be a somewhat hollow accomplishment, it would certainly look good for Monken this offseason, when he may have to look for another job.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/16/18
Here are Friday’s minor moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Promoted to active roster: DT Christian Ringo
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted from practice squad: S Godwin Igwebuike
- Waived: DE Demone Harris
Bucs Undecided On Offensive Playcaller
Last week, Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter yanked play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Todd Monken. Recently, Koetter told reporters that he’s unsure about who will call the shots on Sunday against the Giants, though he plans to finalize things before Friday.
“Every Thursday night we put the game plan to bed,” Koetter said (Twitter link via Pewter Report). “After dinner, after we get done with the players, we put the game plan to bed and make our final adjustments. After we do that tonight, we’ll decide and move on from there. That’s how we do it and I believe in our process.”
Koetter, who has spent the bulk of his career as an OC, called the plays against the Redskins and the offense amassed more than 500 total yards. Unfortunately, the Bucs’ only points came off of a field goal and red-zone turnovers undid a lot of their good work. Koetter got some results by doing things his way, but the shortcomings are giving him second thoughts about how to proceed.
Obviously, every coach of the 3-6 Bucs is on the hot seat, so the security of both Koetter and Monken will depend on the next seven games. The Bucs face long odds of making the playoffs, but they can keep their Wild Card hopes alive with a win this week.