Tampa Bay

Buccaneers

Auman’s comments come three days after Todd Bowles smilingly told reporters McMillan is “having a great camp. He’s a good football player.” McMillan led the Washington Huskies’ pass-catching corps in both targets (118) and receptions (79) in 2022 before dealing with recurring MCL injuries in 2023. His evident return to form could yield a fantasy-friendly role in year one, making him an ideal late-round draft target.

It’s good news in that it’s not a season-ending injury, but high-ankle issues are quite frequently season-altering issues. One silver lining here is that there are no current games to rush back for. Diaby might not be 100 percent by Week 1, but he will be much closer to it than most high-ankle sprain sufferers are when they return. Diaby notched 7.5 sacks as a third-round rookie last season, and profiles as a major part of the Bucs’ 2024 pass rush.

We don’t know the severity of Diaby’s injury at this time, but his absence for any length of time would be a tough blow to the Buccaneers defense. As a rookie, Diaby totaled an impressive 12 TFLs and 7.5 sacks in 17 games on 515 snaps. The former third-rounder set the bar high heading into his second season and is expected to offer more contributions to a defense that finished as the fifth-best defense in points per game while ranking 10th in sacks. We’ll provide more on his injury when we have an update.

Wirfs joins teammate Antoine Winfield as the two highest-paid players in league history at their respective positions. Just days after it was reported Wirfs and the Bucs were “miles apart” on an extension, the fifth-year tackle is now the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history and under contract through the 2029 season. Wirfs is a three-time Pro Bowler and was named a First-team All-Pro in his second season in the league. Wirfs has played in 63 of a possible 67 regular season games since entering the league in 2020. He earned a PFF pass-blocking grade of 84.3 last season, allowing five sacks on 24 pressures. Wirfs will get more than $88 million in guaranteed money on this new contract.

Opeta signed a one-year deal with the Bucs in the offseason and was competing for a starting job at left guard. He made starts at both left and right guard for the Eagles in 2023. Opeta came into the league as a UDFA and carved out a role as a versatile backup for Philly. He will now miss the entirety of the 2024 season.

Wirfs, 25, is one of the top left tackles in the game. Currently in the fifth and final year of his rookie contract, Wirfs reported to mandatory minicamp earlier this year, and has been a participant in training camp despite his desire for a new deal. Wirfs is set to earn $18.6 million on his fifth-year option and is expected to be the highest-paid left tackle in the league — or close to it — when all is said and done. Last season, Wirfs allowed five sacks on 24 pressures per PFF while earning a blocking grade of 81.1. It wouldn’t be surprising if Wirfs landed a new deal before the start of the season, but this recent report creates some doubt.

According to Auman, Godwin’s role will be “the role Cooper Kupp had with the Rams when [offensive coordinator Liam] Coen was there.” Godwin played just 37 percent of his snaps from the slot last season — his lowest total since 2018. From 2021 to 2022, the veteran receiver played 71.7 percent of his snaps from the slot and caught 202 passes over that span. Godwin saw inconsistent usage throughout much of last season but managed to see 42 targets over his final five games. Kupp was only healthy for nine games during Coens’ lone season as the Rams offensive coordinator, but during that span, the Rams ranked eighth in slot targets (102) and third in dropbacks from 11 personnel (311) per FantasyPoints.com. Under Coen, Godwin has a chance to see a bounce-back season after an underwhelming 2023. He’s currently going as a low-end WR3 in PPR leagues but could have high-end WR2 upside if he returns to form in 2024.

Per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Barton’s deal is fully guaranteed. The rookie center has big shoes to fill, as he’ll officially be tasked with replacing the now-departed Ryan Jensen, who retired after last season due to a knee injury he suffered in July 2022. Barton earned a PFF blocking grade of 75.9 last season while allowing two sacks and 11 pressures.

Mike Evans and Trey Palmer have been sidelined, giving McMillan more reps with the first-team during the offseason program. McMillan caught all three targets from Mayfield on Wednesday, including Mayfield’s first pass of the day and a touchdown during red zone drills. The quarterback complimented McMillan for being “friendly at the top of his routes, attack[ing] the ball [and] catch[ing] with his hands.” The front office spent a third-round pick on McMillan after a sub-500-yard rookie season from Palmer, a 2023 sixth-round pick. Recurring MCL sprains hampered McMillan’s 2023 college season, but he notably led the Huskies in 2022 targets (118) and receptions (79) as the team’s starting slot receiver, edging out 2024 first-round WR Rome Odunze, who caught 75 of his 110 targets. McMillan has a chance to unseat Palmer for the No. 3 role.

Wirfs reports (and avoids fines) while seeking a long-term deal with the team. He’ll earn around $18.2 million if he plays under the fifth year option in 2024. Wirfs, 25, has proven to be an elite tackle and is likely to strike some kind of deal with the Bucs in the coming weeks. Tampa Bay’s offensive line in 2023 was graded by PFF as the NFL’s 10th best pass blocking unit.