The Tampa Bay Buccaneers
dealt with their share of injuries throughout training camp and the preseason, but they appear to be getting healthy at the right time. As Tampa Bay prepares for its Week 1 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Bucs have gotten several important players back on the practice field: Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan, and Sean Tucker, who have all dealt with injuries over the past several weeks.Egbuka's return is one of the biggest developments for the offense, as the second-year receiver had been sidelined by a toe injury, but he has worked his way back into practice ahead of the opener. With Egbuka expected to have an expanded role in the offense as a main focal point this season with Mike Evans moving on to San Francisco,
getting him back before Week 1 gives Baker Mayfield another important piece of his receiving corps. McMillan has also made strides after dealing with a knee injury that kept him out for most of the preseason. His return to practice gives Tampa Bay another reason for optimism about a receiver room that spent much of the preseason without all of its pieces available at the same time. Tucker has been working his way back from a hamstring injury as well. His return to the field is another positive sign for the Bucs, even if his workload and availability against Cincinnati remain worth monitoring as the week progresses.
Some players are still dealing with minor injuries, which is expected heading into any NFL game, but Tampa Bay's overall health is in a much better place than it was a few weeks ago. More importantly, the Bucs aren't facing a long list of major starter injuries entering the season. That's a welcome change after training camp saw several players miss time and the team takes a cautious approach with others. Tampa Bay still has to make it through the remainder of the practice week before final game statuses are announced, but the Bucs are trending in the right direction. Having Egbuka, McMillan, and Tucker back on the field is another step toward getting the roster as close to full strength as possible, with the season opening on the road against Cincinnati.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Bucs injury report: Bucs at Bengals
