The Tampa Bay Buccaneers held their first official practice of the 2026 regular season on Monday and it came with some good news ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Wide receivers Jalen McMillan and Emeka Egbuka, as well as backup tackle Justin Skule, were all seen working on the practice field and that’s obviously a great development for a Buccaneers offense that really needs a big bounce-back year after a tough 2025 season.

Egbuka and McMillan had missed the last couple of weeks due to various injuries: Egbuka has been dealing with a toe sprain, while McMillan’s issue has been a knee injury. They are easily two of the Buccaneers’ top three wide receivers, and both guys bring a major element to the offense that allows quarterback Baker Mayfield to spread the ball around against opposing defenses.

Egbuka is settling in at the Z position this year, while McMillan is a versatile target who can play both inside and outside. That versatility allows offensive coordinator Zac Robinson to really mix it up when it comes to his options in the passing attack.

Justin Skule’s return adds valuable depth to Tampa Bay’s offensive line

Skule, on the other hand, is one of the Buccaneers’ swing tackles, which is one of the more underrated positions in the NFL. His return bodes well for offensive tackle Benjamin Chukwuma, who is a second-year player with a lot of promise but is still developing. Chukwuma showed both good and bad flashes during training camp and the preseason, so having a veteran like Skuley back in the fold takes some pressure off the young lineman.

Either way, it’s another piece of valuable offensive line depth for the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay saw last year just how important offensive line depth can be when it’s missing.

Tampa Bay’s passing attack could be at full force for Week 1

So what this does is allow the Buccaneers’ passing attack to potentially be at full force whenever the team takes on a revamped Cincinnati defense on Saturday. The Bengals feature a couple of pretty solid cornerbacks and a defensive front that should be able to generate some pressure and chaos from time to time.

On top of that, Dax Hill, one of the Bengals’ top corners, has been dealing with a hamstring injury and it’s unclear as to whether or not he’ll play. The Bengals’ first injury report of the season comes out on Wednesday, so we’ll know more then. If he misses the game, third-round rookie Tacario Davis will likely play in his stead.

The Buccaneers do have a bit of bad injury news coming out of their first practice ahead of the Bengals game and it’s the fact that RB3 Sean Tucker was not seen on the field during Monday’s session. Tucker is a depth player, but has shown on multiple occasions that he can fill in and make plays when called upon. So, his status will certainly be one to monitor over the coming days.

Buccaneers LB Christian Rozeboom adds to the good injury news ahead of the Bengals game, as well  

On the defensive side of the ball, veteran linebacker Christian Rozeboom returned to practice, himself. He’s missed every single bit of action since suffering a foot injury ahead of the first preseason game against the Jets.

Like Tucker, Rozeboom is a backup, but he’s needed when considering the groin injury SirVocea Dennis is dealing with. Right now, the Buccaneers have only two truly healthy off-ball linebackers in Alex Anzalone and Josiah Trotter and those guys will need a breather at some point. Therefore, having Rozeboom potentially back in the equation would be a big boon for the second level of the defense.

Rueben Bain Jr. was also practicing, which is not much of a surprise, but is still noteworthy when considering he suffered an AC sprain in joint practice against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Getting these guys back on the practice field in Week 1 is more significant than it might seem on the surface. Tampa Bay needs Mayfield to have weapons at his disposal from the jump, and having both Egbuka and McMillan healthy gives Robinson the flexibility to attack Cincinnati’s secondary in multiple ways.

The same goes for Rozeboom and Skule (in case of emergency). We’ll continue to monitor the Buccaneers’ overall health as the week progresses.