Chase Edmonds Sidelined for Second Practice of Camp | Updates (2024)

July 25 Updates

The Buccaneers had a nearly clean bill of health when they started training camp practices on Wednesday. The only players moved to an NFI or PUP list before the first practice were rookie quarterback Zack Annexstad (shoulder) and first-year tight end Tanner Taula (leg), both with non-football injury designations.

However, injuries are inevitable during a long training camp, and teams simply hope to minimize the number of them and avoid any major ones. The first Buccaneer to suffer an injury during camp this summer is apparently veteran running back Chase Edmonds. Edmonds practiced on Wednesday but was held out on Thurday, with Head Coach Todd Bowles saying he is "nursing an injury." Bowles did not specify the nature of the injury.

Second-year safety Kaevon Merriweather is also being held out of practice, and he was unable to take part in the offseason workouts as well due to an unspecified injury. He did leave the Bucs' final game of the 2023 season, the playoff loss in Detroit on January 21, with an ankle injury.

CLICK HERE to watch Coach Bowles' post-practice media session on Thursday.

July 24 Updates

Mike Evans and Chris Godwin form the best starting receiver combination in Buccaneers history, and that's essentially indisputable. Evans is far and away the franchise's all-time leading receiver in every category, and the most accomplished offensive player at any position. Godwin is an easy second on those receiving charts.

The two may have been at the peak of their combined powers on an afternoon in Los Angeles when the Bucs and Rams contested one of the wildest shootouts in team history. Tampa Bay won, 55-40, in large part because Godwin hauled in 12 of his 14 targets for 172 yards and two scores. That didn't leave as many targets for Evans, but he still turned his four catches into 89 yards and a 67-yard scoring grab.

There were no stats or actual touchdowns on Wednesday morning when the Bucs opened training camp with a steamy 90-minute practice, but Evans and Godwin were notably active throughout the workout, combining for a high number of catches. Godwin, for instance, was on the receiving end of two of Baker Mayfield's first three passes when the team ran a red zone drill. Evans made more downfield plays than his running mate, but what he saw from Godwin reminded him of that day in Los Angeles, and that year as a whole.

"He's going to have a great year," said Evans of Godwin. "Y'all saw him today – he looks like he's in midseason form. He's making plays, going deep, looks like the 2019 Chris Godwin. He's always been an unbelievable player and leader for us, and I expect no different this year."

If the Bucs got anything close to the 2019 Godwin, they would be thrilled. He set career highs that season with 1,333 yards, 15.5 yards per catch and nine touchdowns, and made his first Pro Bowl, and that was while missing two games. His 95.2 receiving yards per game ranked second in the NFL. Two years later, in the midst of another strong campaign, he was felled by a significant knee injury in a December contest when he was just two catches shy of reaching 100. He made an impressive return in 2022 and did crack the 100-catch mark, but his yards per catch was the lowest mark of his career and he didn't feel fully back in form until 2023. Now one more year removed from that injury, he may be about to rewind the clock.

Godwin hasn't repeated that nine-touchdown 2019 season yet, and in fact has just 10 scores on 285 receptions the last three years. No other player with at least 200 catches in that time span has gotten to the end zone less often. Evans said that's just a matter of giving his teammate more shots at the painted grass.

"Give him some more red zone opportunities," said Evans. "Kinda look back at the film in 2019, we gave him a lot of opportunities – fades, seam balls, screens, all those things. He can do all those routes, we've just got to put them on him more."

CLICK HERE to watch the first episode of this year's Training Camp Report.

July 22 Updates

Outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett, who took his career to a new level when he joined the Buccaneers in 2019, has decided to retire after 10 years in the NFL. Barrett signed with the Dolphins in March after being released by the Buccaneers but announced his intention to walk away with a statement on Sunday.

"It's time for me to hang it up," Barrett wrote. "It's been a great ride, and I appreciate everything that came with it over the years. I'm ready to shift my full focus to my wife and kids and helping them realize their dreams and catch 'em."

The Buccaneers release of Barrett in March was driven by salary cap concerns, but his five seasons in Tampa reached some impressive heights. Looking for an opportunity to start after mostly serving as a reserve for the Denver Broncos, Barrett signed a one-year deal with Tampa Bay in 2019 and promptly demolished the team's single-season sack record with 19.5 that season. He became the first Buccaneer ever to lead the NFL in sacks for a season and finished fourth in the Defensive Player of the Year voting. He also earned his first Pro Bowl invitation that year and was a second-team Associated Press All-Pro.

In 2020, Barrett was an integral part of a defense that dominated in the playoffs as the Buccaneers captured their second Super Bowl championship. After recording 8.0 sacks in the regular season, he added 4.0 more in the playoffs, including 3.0 in the NFC Championship in Green Bay. Barrett went to his second Pro Bowl in 2021 after contributing 10.0 sacks for a team that captured the NFC South title. An Achilles tendon injury ended his 2022 season after eight games and 3.0 sacks, but he returned last fall to play in 16 games and contribute 4.5 sacks.

In all, Barrett racked up 45.0 sacks in five seasons in Tampa, the fifth-highest total in franchise history. He also recorded 249 tackles, 48 tackles for loss, 90 quarterback hits, 15 forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, three interceptions and 11 passes defensed. He spent five seasons in Denver, including a rookie year on the practice squad, during which he totaled 14.0 sacks, 151 tackles and 35 quarterback hits. Barrett played his college football at Colorado State and originally joined the Broncos as an undrafted free agent.

After one last quiet weekend, the AdventHealth Training Center is buzzing again on Monday.

Buccaneer rookies were required to report for training camp on Monday, along with players receiving treatment for injuries. Monday was also the first official work day for the team's coaching staff since the end of minicamp in June.

The Buccaneers and Browns are the only two teams in the league to have their rookies reporting this Monday, but eight others will do so on Tuesday and Wednesday. The rest of the teams brought their rookies in at some point last week, beginning with the Ravens on July 13.

While the whole team will be hard at work on the practice field on Wednesday, the rookie report day has a fairly light schedule. The NFL newcomers will undergo physicals between 9:00 a.m. and noon, with breakfast and lunch available, but there are no team meetings or weight room sessions scheduled.

Tampa Bay's veterans will follow the rookies in on Tuesday, with the first practice scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

The Buccaneers hope to get a big impact from their rookie class, much as they did last year when defensive lineman Calijah Kancey, guard Cody Mauch, outside linebacker Yaya Diaby and nickel back Christian Izien all cracked the starting lineup. Trey Palmer took over as the team's third receiver while linebacker SirVocea Dennis and cornerback Josh Hayes quickly became core special teamers.

This year, the Buccaneers expect first-round pick Graham Barton to compete for their starting center job and are likely to have second-round outside linebacker Chris Braswell in the thick of their edge rush rotation. Two third-round picks, safety Tykee Smith and wide receiver Jalen McMillan will also battle for significant roles while fourth-round running back Bucky Irving could be part of a one-two punch in the backfield with Rachaad White.

CLICK HERE to visit our training camp section with players to watch, practice dates and more.