The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will take on the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday to kick off the 2026 season.
The Bucs will need all hands on deck if they’re going to keep pace with the Bengals’ explosive offense. Tampa Bay is entering the season relatively healthy, especially compared to last year.
They’ve just been waiting on the status of three players: Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan, and Sean Tucker. Todd Bowles finally delivered the long-awaited update, and there’s some good news and some bad news.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers get good news on Emeka Egbuka ahead of Week 1
According to Pewter Report, Bowles spoke to reporters after practice on Friday and shared that Egbuka will be a full go, while Jalen McMillan and Sean Tucker are doubtful.
McMillan’s likely absence will mean even more targets for Egbuka and Chris Godwin. It also could open the door for rookie Ted Hurst to play a key role in his NFL debut.
As for Sean Tucker, it’s not as crucial to be without the RB3, and preseason standout Josh Williams will be called up from the practice squad to the active roster if Tucker ultimately can’t go.
Being without any offensive playmakers isn’t ideal, as this game is shaping up to be a back-and-forth shootout between two explosive offenses facing defenses that really struggled in 2025.
Seeing Egbuka, who could feasibly be Tampa Bay’s WR1 this season after Mike Evans’ departure, is a huge victory. He’d been dealing with a nagging toe injury that many feared would keep him sidelined, and Baker Mayfield and the offense just got a huge boost in his return.
If Tucker and McMillan are the only inactives heading into the season opener, the team will miss them, but the Buccaneers will count their blessings. Last season, they were without their best player, All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs to open the season, so this pales in comparison.
The Bucs will hope to fare much better in the injury department this year after their season was derailed by constant injuries on both sides of the ball a year ago. They’re going into Week 1 relatively healthy and ready for a hard-fought matchup on the road against a quality Bengals team.
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