Buccaneers starter surprisingly listed on injury report before Seahawks game

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers can't afford to lose another starter before a big road game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Aug 23, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles against the Miami Dolphins during the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' injury report got a little bit longer on Saturday, but it appears to be nothing to worry about — at least, not yet.

The Bucs are set to face off against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 5, and they ruled out five players — Bucky Irving, Mike Evans, Jamel Dean, Benjamin Morrison and Christian Izien — for the contest. They added another player to the list on Saturday, though, and it's starter Chase McLaughlin, the team's reliable kicker who hit a career-high 65-yard kick against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4.

Buccaneers add McLaughlin to injury report

McLaughlin was added to the injury report on Saturday. It was with an illness designation, but the Buccaneers did not make any changes to the injury report — that means that, as it currently stands, McLaughlin is expected to play against the Seahawks.

The Buccaneers have added kicker Chase McLaughlin to the injury report with an illness. He does not have an injury designation for Sunday. https://t.co/xyrYMnHsIA

— Buccaneers Communications (@BuccaneersComms) October 4, 2025

That being said, it's still definitely something to watch. An illness could certainly make McLaughlin kick worse, depending on how bad it is, but if it worsens on Sunday to a point where he wouldn't be able to kick at all (unlikely), teams don't bring a backup kicker. That would force the Bucs to go for fourth downs more often and would make them consider going for two after touchdowns, which would change the flow of the game significantly.

The Bucs have already dealt with some tough injury luck, and this is another brutal break for the Bucs. The good news is that it seems like McLaughlin is set to play, so he'll power through it against the Seahawks. The Bucs will probably hope to score enough touchdowns on Sunday to where he isn't kicking from too far out.

The Bucs and Seahawks face off at 4:05 p.m. Sunday.

READ MORE: How the Buccaneers can beat the Seahawks in Week 5

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