The Buccaneers are dealing with yet another injury that could keep a key player out against the Texans

It's a new football season, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are still dealing with a lot of the same injury problems it dealt with last year when placing it in the context of the amount.

Last week, Vita Vea's status was in question after he missed two practices with a foot issue and ended up as questionable on the final injury report. Now, heading into Week 2's matchup agianst the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football, starting right tackle Luke Goedeke is dealing with his own foot injury that caused him to miss the week's first practice session.

"He's got a foot injury, so he didn't practice today. We'll see how the week goes for him [and] how he recovers," Todd Bowles told reporters after Thursday's practice.

It's a huge deal if Goedeke can't go. Especially if Tristan Wirfs isn't back on the field. Goedeke is the Bucs' second-best offensive linemen and a very good one, at that. In this hypothetical, the Bucs would trot out Graham Barton at left tackle, Mike Jordan at left guard, Ben Bredeson at center, Cody Mauch at right guard, and then Charlie Heck at right tackle.

That would not be an ideal situation, at all, when considering the fact the group faces the likes of Danielle Hunter, Will Anderson and the rest of a very stout Texans pass rush that sacked Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford three times in the season-opener.

Tristan Wirfs might be able to save the day, but don't count on it

There was some good injury news to come out on Thursday and it's the fact both Chris Godwin Jr. and Tristan Wirfs practiced for the first time since the end of the 2024 season.

The words "flying around" were used on multiple occasions by both coaches and players alike when describing the Pro Bowlers. Bowles even mentioned to reporters that both players have a chance to play on Monday night if everything goes right over the next few days.

"Obviously those two guys [are] important guys for this building as a whole, whether they're on the field or off the field," Baker Mayfield told reporters. "It's good to see them, though. Chris [was] flying around, getting them back out there, yeah, just brings a little extra juice to practice."

It's certainly encouraging news, but there's still a long way to go. The Bucs still have two more practices then an off day Sunday. The next 72 hours-and-change will go a long way in determining if any of the three players discussed in this article play against the Texans.

October has always been the anchor point when referring to a full return for both players and when considering this is the first time they've both practiced in an official capacity - it's more logical to assume the October timeline is merely on track compared to accelerated.

We're talking about a three week difference, here. I'd certainly limit expectations for Monday and continue to hold out hope for October when it comes to the return of both players.