Tampa Bay Buccaneers announce team captains

Unlike most teams in the NFL that had their captains ready to roll in week one, Todd Bowles opted for a wait-and-see approach to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ season – and captain voting process. Now, the votes have been tallied and the announcement has been made for the Bucs’ eight team captains this season

A few things stand out when looking at this list – first and foremost that there’s no “special teams” captains this year. Four on the offense, four on the defense.

Second is that safety Antoine Winfield Jr. is a captain for the first time in his career as are Chris Godwin and Tristan Wirfs. The Buccaneers also increased their total number from five in 2022 to eight in 2023.

Some are calling out the off-season distractions that linebacker Devin White caused with his social media posts and trade demand, saying he shouldn’t be a captain. The thing is, the players voted on these captains and all the players in that locker room view White as a leader of their team and a core part of their success.

Tristan Wirfs was outspoken in the off-season about his desire to take on a larger role as a leader in the absence of Tom Brady. His teammates heard the call, saw what he’s done in his transition from right tackle to left tackle, and chose him to be one of the leaders of the team.

And, of course, there’s Baker Mayfield. From outcast, to quarterback battles, to captain. The offensive players have gravitated towards Mayfield’s leadership, attitude, persistence, and desire to win.

These eight players will sport the “C” patch for the first time this season on Sunday as we see the throwback creamsicle jerseys for the first time in over ten years when they take on the Detroit Lions in Raymond James Stadium – or, the new Big Sombrero

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The 2023 NFL regular season is quickly approaching the halfway mark. That means injuries are starting to pile up around the league, especially for certain franchises who are having a particularly tough stretch of bad luck. READ MORE: Buccaneers’ Quarterback Baker Mayfield Injury Update After X-Ray on Hand On Tuesday afternoon, the Philadelphia Eagles announced that they were signing veteran wide receiver Julio Jones. The move came in the aftermath of placing Quez Wakins on Injured Reserve a couple of days ago as well as the team’s first defeat of the season over the weekend.

The Eagles are looking for a spark and they’ll turn to the future Hall of Famer in Jones to provide an impact in the room that can affect the team on and off the field. We’ve signed WR Julio Jones. pic.twitter.com/yMxM3tId9p — Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 17, 2023 The 34-year-old entered the season as a free agent after spending one year in Tampa Bay. During his lone season with the Buccaneers, Jones caught 24 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns while struggling with injuries. He suffered a partially torn PCL in the season opener and ended up missing nearly half of the year. Back healthy, Jones is hoping to regain the form that made him arguably the top wide receiver in the league during his prime. He recorded six consecutive seasons of 1,350+ receiving yards from 2014-19 while playing with the Atlanta Falcons.

The All-Pro wide receiver will reunite with his former teammate AJ Brown in Philadelphia. The two played together for one year after the Falcons traded Jones to Tennessee in 2021. During his 12-year career, Jones has totaled 903 catches for 13,629 yards with 63 touchdowns.