Buccaneers Rule 5 Players ‘OUT’ vs Buffalo

The Buccaneers have ruled out five players for Sunday’s game against the Bills: Chris Godwin (WR), Bucky Irving (RB), Haason Reddick (OLB), Ben Bredeson (G), and Markees Watts (OLB) are all officially ruled out, per the team’s website.

Todd Bowles mentioned that Bucky Irving and Chris Godwin are making progress in practice, but their availability for Week 12 against the Rams is still uncertain.

It’s been a tough season for Godwin and Irving, with both missing significant time. Godwin’s only played in 2 games, and Irving’s played in 4. Not what you want to see from your star players, especially when you’re trying to make a playoff push.

Chris Godwin, 29, was drafted by the Buccaneers in the 3rd round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He played out his rookie contract and was set to hit free agency. However, the Bucs applied the franchise tag, keeping him in Tampa for another year.

Godwin inked a three-year, $60 million deal with $40 million guaranteed in 2022 after playing out the franchise tag. Then, in 2025, he signed another three-year contract worth $66 million, with $44 million guaranteed.

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Bucky Irving, 22, was drafted by the Buccaneers in the 4th round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Oregon.

Irving has played in 4 games for the Buccaneers this season, rushing 71 times for 237 yards (3.3 yards per carry) and scoring 2 touchdowns. He’s also caught 19 passes for 193 yards (10.2 yards per catch) and 2 touchdowns.

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Haason Reddick signed a one-year, $14 million contract with the Buccaneers, with $12 million guaranteed. Unfortunately Reddick has not lived uo to expectations. And now with this injury he may be one and done for the Bucs.

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Ben Bredeson signed a three-year contract worth $22 million with $12.5 million guaranteed. This deal keeps him with the Buccaneers through 2028, providing stability to the team’s offensive line. Bredeson played a key role in the Buccaneers’ success last season, starting all 17 games at left guard.

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Markees Watts has a three-year contract worth $2,695,000 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which breaks down to an average annual salary of $898,333. For 2025, he’ll earn a base salary of $1,030,000 with a cap hit of $1,030,334 and a dead cap value of $334.