Buccaneers Deliver Bucky Irving Verdict Ahead of Week 8
In Week 8, ahead of a matchup with the division rival New Orleans Saints, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers once again left no doubt about whether or not running back Bucky Irving and wide receiver Chris Godwin would return in time for the game. They will not.
Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles delivered the bad news on Wednesday, October 22, ruling out both Irving and Godwin immediately (per FOX Sports reporter Greg Auman).
With a bye week upcoming in Week 9, it’s certainly not a shocker that both Irving and Godwin will get another game to recover, but what is concerning is how quickly Bowles has been ruling them out. Last week, the news came on Monday — ahead of a Monday night showdown a full seven days away.
In Week 8, the news comes on a Wednesday, which is a slight improvement, but certainly nothing to write home about.
Clearly, Irving and Godwin are not close enough to returning where Bowles feels a few extra days could be the difference. They are a long way away from retaking the field.
With that in mind, it’s fair to wonder if Irving and Godwin will even be ready to play following the Week 9 bye.
Tampa Bay’s Week 10 matchup with the New England Patriots is a full 18 days from today (October 22). The assumption was that Irving would be back by then, at the latest, but the lack of clarity from Bowles and the Buccaneers leaves room for doubt.
Why Didn’t the Buccaneers Place RB Bucky Irving on the Injured Reserve?
The nature of Irving’s recovery timeline has been strange. When he first suffered his injuries, only a foot sprain was reported, and the estimated absence was maybe one week.
A few days later, it was revealed that Irving also suffered a shoulder injury, and after a long cryptic social media message from the running back, we have not really seen or heard much from him since.
That was back on October 5, and at that point, it was reported that Irving could miss several weeks.
If the Bucs had transferred Irving to the injured reserve before their October 5 matchup, the Saints game would be absence number four. Meaning he’d be eligible to return from IR after the bye.
However, Tampa Bay chose not to place Irving on IR, and now every week that they wait is another four weeks that he’d be forced to miss. Basically, at this point, it’s far too late to place the RB on the injured reserve.
Why the Bucs chose not to do it when they initially found out about his shoulder injury is a mystery, but there are two likely reasons. One, the training staff was unsure how long Irving would miss, or two, he suffered some sort of unexpected setback.
Hopefully, Irving can retake the field for the Buccaneers in Week 10.
Bucs OLB Haason Reddick Also Expected to Miss Week 8
It’s not just Irving, Godwin and Mike Evans that the Bucs will be without in Week 8.
Per Tampa Bay Times beat reporter Rick Stroud, veteran outside linebacker Haason Reddick is also expected to miss the Buccaneers’ final game before their bye week.
So, Tampa Bay will be without key players on both sides of the football. Fortunately, they’ll be up against the 1-6 Saints, but you can never take any team too lightly in a league like the NFL.
Jakobi Meyers Wants Out of Raiders and Browns Could Be His New Home
The buzz around Cleveland Browns trade targets continues to grow.
Cleveland is looking to address a number of team concerns as the year continues forward. The offense as a whole could use a few more additions, especially in the offensive line and wide receiver rooms.
As the 2025 NFL Trade Deadline approaches, the Browns are beginning to be swamped by a number of trade rumors, including one with former Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson. While the Jets will be more than likely unwilling to move on from the young and talented Wilson, a team that may be looking to ship away one of their top wideouts is the Las Vegas Raiders.
Jakobi Meyers leads the Raiders in targets with 42 on the campaign, despite missing Week 7. The 28-year-old wideout has been extremely reliable over the past three seasons, playing in a total of 37 games for the Raiders.
However, that ship has started to sail as Meyers reportedly requested a trade out of Las Vegas.
"Oh, for sure," Meyers said Tuesday when asked if he is standing firm on his trade request. "But I'm a professional at the end of the day. I'm just trying to play good football. If I'm here, I'll play good football. If I'm not here, I'll go out there and play wherever I'm supposed to be."
He requested a trade from the organization after being unable to reach an agreement on a new contract.
"[The Raiders] know how I feel," Meyers said. "It's no reason for me to keep going back crying to them, 'Can you get me out of here?' If you move me, you move me. But in the meantime, I got some real people that I care about next to me, so I'm trying to make sure I'm being my best self for them."
So, can and should the Browns swoop in to make a move for the disgruntled weapon?
At 6-foot-2, 193 pounds, Meyers sits as one of the most physical and agile route runners in the league. His ability to haul in catches through contact, break past most teams' secondaries and play physical is eye-catching.
He has a career average of 55.% catch rate, with that mark sitting at 58% this season, meaning the former North Carolina State standout can hold onto the football.
The Browns currently have just one wide receiver on the roster they can consider to be a "long-term staple," and that would be Jerry Jeudy. He has been the team's WR1 for the past two seasons, but the franchise has been unable to secure a No. 2 alongside him.
Meyers would be perfect to fill that role and take some of the pressure off Jeudy and free him up a bit more against opposing teams.
In 2024, Meyers caught 87 passes, taking them for 1,027 yards. It was the first time he eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving in a season in his career. At 28 years old, he presents a unique opportunity for consistent production and an untapped ceiling. His ability to make plays in the red zone is also something that draws teams' interest.
Cleveland also has the draft capital to make a move for a player like Meyers.
The team recently brought in a number of late-round flyers in trades involving Kenny Pickett to the Raiders, Joe Flacco to the Bengals and Greg Newsome II to the Jaguars. Including late round selections, the team could also move on from a third or fourth rounder in this year's draft if Las Vegas was in need of one.
The only thing the front office of the Browns would need to do is ensure that Meyers could get paid, and that they could. Obviously, Cleveland is struggling financially due to the horrific Deshaun Watson trade, but general manager Andrew Berry is always able to move things around to ensure a player gets paid their worth.
As the Browns look to capitalize on the current momentum the team has found after taking down the Miami Dolphins this past weekend, moves as the deadline approaches should be expected.
Cleveland rarely sits quiet and its unlikely this trade deadline will be one where they do.
