It's Week 4 of the 2026 season, but Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans are seeing shades of 2025 all over again. As the injury bugs keep piling up and head coach Todd Bowles continues to deny they exist, the injury report is the final say, and it's saying quite a bit.
The Buccaneers are facing a critical early-season game to avoid going 0-4. The Packers are having their own struggles this year, but at least they have won a game.
Four players are already ruled out for Week 4; two of them are not a surprise. Baker Mayfield and Rueben Bain Jr. will be sidelined as expected. Joining them will be CB Benjamin Morrison (quad) and TE Ko Kieft (elbow). Now the question becomes: which one of the other players will not make it to Sunday?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers have no choice but to lean on their depth after injuries hit in Week 4
With Mayfield out, rookie Jalon Daniels will get his first start as an NFL quarterback. He will be the first rookie to start at the position this season for any NFL team. In cleanup last week, there were signs that he might be able to handle the job.
The Kieft injury is the least of the Buccaneers' worries. He is third on the depth chart behind Cade Otton and Payne Durham. It is a little more interesting with Morrison.
The backup to Zyon McCollum may not be the starter, but Morrison provides depth to the unit, and right now they can't afford any more in-game hits that take players out.
Throughout all of this, of course, is the fact that Bain will once again miss a game as he deals with both a shoulder and a groin issue. Bain was the hot topic during training camp as he stayed after to take reps on his own. It hasn't helped. Through the two games he did play in, he registered an absolute goose egg in the statistical column.
With Bain out, the Bucs will turn to David Walker once again. The rising pass rusher has five tackles and two sacks this season. He was a bright spot against the Vikings a week ago, registering three tackles and a sack.
Something has to start going right for the Buccaneers. The start to the season has been unexpectedly bad, and that was before the injuries took over for the poor play on the field.
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