Buccaneers Have Great News on Week 1 Injury Report Ahead of Bengals Game

The time for talk is over. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are officially preparing for their first NFL game of the regular season.

The Bucs are set to face off against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 to kick off 2026. The team didn't have too many injuries across the offseason, and the ones it did have don't appear substantial enough to keep most players off the field for the opening week.

Because Wednesday is Tampa Bay's first official practice, the Bucs released their first injury report of the week — and of the NFL season — on Wednesday. The injury report had some very good news on it for Bucs fans, including an update on one of the team's starting wide receivers

Emeka Egbuka a Full Participant for Buccaneers on Wednesday.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) participates in training camp at AdventHealth Training Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Buccaneers had just about every player participating in practice in some capacity on Wednesday. The only player who definitively was not participating was running back Sean Tucker, who is dealing with a hamstring injury and is currently rehabbing — he'll be a game-time decision.

Outside linebacker Rueben Bain had a minor AC joint sprain during joint practice with the Jacksonville Jaguars and he was limited Wednesday, but he should be set to play against the Bengals on Sunday.

Our first injury report of the 2026 season!

Nothing too out of the ordinary from what we expected. Sean Tucker is dealing with a hamstring injury. Jalen McMillan was limited, but Emeka Egbuka is full go pic.twitter.com/NIq7rJEaZZ
— River Wells (@riverhwells) September 9, 2026

Wideout Jalen McMillan was limited in practice, but the bigger news is with wide receiver Emeka Egbuka. Egbuka sprained his toe during a joint practice against the New York Jets, but he was a full participant on Wednesday, almost certainly clearing the way for him to play Sunday against the Bengals.

Egbuka is set to be a crucial piece in new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson's offense, taking on the "Z" role. He has a legitimate claim to be the WR1 for the team if he can produce as he did in the first half of 2025, so it's very encouraging for Tampa Bay to see him full-go in practice this early.

McMillan is dealing with a knee injury, but head coach Todd Bowles said Wednesday that he's "running around well." If the Bucs were to field both wideouts against the Bengals on Sunday, they'd have a good chance to start the year off with a win, given how many healthy weapons they'd have to begin the season.

The Buccaneers play the Bengals at 1 p.m. on Sept. 13 in Cincinnati.

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