ADDITIONAL 2026 CHANGES\/DEVELOPMENTS OF NOTE<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0The Buccaneers brought in a\u00a0quartet\u00a0of new coaches on the\u00a0offensive side of the ball, beginning with Offensive Coordinator Zac Robinson, who replaces Josh Grizzard. Robinson\u00a0came to Tampa after two seasons in the same role for the Atlanta Falcons on Raheem Morris’ staff, and he has coaching roots with the L.A. Rams in the Sean McVay system. The Buccaneers also hired T.J. Yates, who worked with Robinson in Atlanta, as their new pass game coordinator and\u00a0brought in Chandler Whitmer from the college ranks to be the\u00a0quarterbacks\u00a0coach. Whitmer spent the 2025 season with Indiana, helping Fernando Mendoza win the Heisman Trophy and the Hoosiers capture their first national\u00a0championship.\u00a0Ken Zampese also joined Todd Bowles’ staff as a senior offensive assistant\/pass game specialist.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0Tampa Bay also made a significant change\u00a0in another phase of the game, hiring long-time NFL special\u00a0teams\u00a0guru Danny Smith to coordinate that crew. Smith\u00a0has more than three decades of coaching experience in the NFL, including 29 as a special\u00a0teams\u00a0coordinator, the last\u00a013 with Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh.\u00a0Luke Smith, Danny’s nephew, also followed him from Pittsburgh to Tampa to serve as the Bucs’ assistant special\u00a0teams\u00a0coach.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0The Bucs also\u00a0might\u00a0a couple changes\u00a0on their defensive coaching staff, including the hiring of Marcus West to be the new defensive line coach.\u00a0In addition,\u00a0Tim Atkins and Rashad Johnson were promoted from previous positions to safeties coach and cornerbacks coach, respectively.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0A\u00a0franchise era ended early in 2026 when two long-time Buccaneer icons, wide receiver Mike Evans and Lavonte David, left the team. Evans signed with the San Francisco 49ers as an unrestricted free agent, ending an illustrious\u00a012-year run in Tampa in which he completely rewrote the team’s receiving\u00a0record book, moved into the top 10 in NFL history in career touchdown catches and\u00a0became the first player ever to begin a career with 11 straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons. David retired following a 14-year career \u2013 making him one of only three Buccaneers to play at least 14 seasons in Tampa \u2013 in which he\u00a0tied Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks for the most tackles in team annals. Both Evans and David are potential Hall of Famers as well and are considered two of the most accomplished figures in\u00a0Buccaneershistory.<\/p>\n
\u2022 In August, the Buccaneers and defensive lineman Vita Vea agreed to a contract extension that runs through the 2027 season. Vea, the 12th overall pick in the 2018 draft, has recorded 35.0 sacks, eighth most in franchise history, and has been a linchpin in one of the league’s best run defenses while earning two Pro Bowl invitations. Then, just prior to the start of the regular season, the Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield were able to agree on a contract extension through the 2029 season that makes the quarterback the highest-paid player in franchise history.Mayfield threw for 12,237 yards and 95 touchdowns in his first three seasons at the helm of the Bucs’ offense, ranking in the top three in both categories in the NFL during that span.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0The Steelers’ offseason started in a way it almost never does, with a head\u00a0coaching\u00a0change.\u00a0The franchise only employed three head coaches from 1969 through last season, with Chuck Noll\u00a0succeeded\u00a0by\u00a0Bill Cowher, who was then followed by Mike Tomlin. Tomlin\u00a0began his run in 2007 and famously never had a losing season in his 19 seasons at the helm, but\u00a0he chose to step down shortly after the 2025 campaign came to an end. The\u00a0Steelers then\u00a0pivoted to\u00a0Mike McCarthy, who\u00a0owned\u00a018 years of experience as an NFL head coach in Green Bay and Dallas.McCarthy’s career record as a head coach prior to joining the Steelers was 174-112-2.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0McCarthy started his\u00a0new staff in Pittsburgh bringing in\u00a0former Vikings Pass Game Coordinator Brian Angelichio as his offensive coordinator and former Raiders Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham to run the defense.\u00a0Angelichio is a first-time\u00a0coordinator\u00a0but Graham has held that title for\u00a0seven previous seasons for the Dolphins, Giants and Raiders.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0Pittsburgh has been active on the trade market in 2026, both before and during the season. The team traded for former Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman\u00a0right at the start of the new league year in March,\u00a0getting the deal done for just a pick swap between the sixth and seventh rounds.\u00a0At the end of the preseason, the Steelers traded away tackle Broderick Jones and running back Kaleb Johnson. Jones went to the Cowboys\u00a0along with a 2027 seventh-round pick in exchange for 2027 third and\u00a0sixth-rounders.\u00a0Johnson was sent to the Packers\u00a0for a 2028 sixth-round selection.\u00a0Then,\u00a0three weeks\u00a0into the season, the Steelers solved a contract impasse with cornerback Joey Porter Jr. by sending him to Dallas for a 2028 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round selection.<\/p>\n
\u2022 It didn’t officially happen until mid-May, but quarterback Aaron Rodgers signed on for a second season in Pittsburgh, inking a one-year deal for the second year in a row in order to play in his 18th NFL campaign overall. Rodgers subsequently announced that 2026 will be his final season as a player.<\/p>\n
INJURY REPORT<\/p>\n
DNP: Did not participate in practice<\/p>\n
LP: Limited participation in practice<\/p>\n
FP: Full participation in practice<\/p>\n
\u2022 LB SirVocea Dennis (ankle\/foot) \u2013 WEDS: LP; THURS: LP<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0CB Ayden Garnes (ankle) \u2013 WEDS: DNP; THURS: LP<\/p>\n
\u2022 WR Chris Godwin (rest) \u2013 WEDS: DNP; THURS: FP<\/p>\n
\u2022 QB Baker Mayfield (right thumb) \u2013 WEDS: DNP; THURS: DNP<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0CB Benjamin Morrison (quad) \u2013 WEDS:\u00a0LP; THURS: LP<\/p>\n
\u2022 DL A’Shawn Robinson (rest) \u2013 WEDS: NL; THURS: LP<\/p>\n
\u2022 WR David Sills* (hamstring) \u2013 WEDS: FP; THURS: FP<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0RB Sean Tucker (quad) \u2013 WEDS: DNP; THURS: LP<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0S Antoine Winfield Jr. (rib) \u2013 WEDS: DNP; THURS: DNP<\/p>\n
\u2022 T Tristan Wirfs (knee) \u2013 WEDS: DNP; THURS: FP<\/p>\n
(* In 21-day window to return from injured reserve.)<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0DT Keeanu Benton\u00a0(ankle) \u2013 WEDS: DNP; THURS: LP<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0CB Jamel Dean (ankle) \u2013 WEDS:\u00a0LP; THURS: LP<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0RB Rico Dowdle (toe) \u2013 WEDS:\u00a0LP; THURS: FP<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0S DeShon Elliott*\u00a0(knee) \u2013 WEDS:\u00a0LP; THURS: LP<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0DT Cameron Heyward (rest) \u2013 WEDS: DNP; THURS: FP<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0CB Jalen Ramsey (wrist) \u2013 WEDS: DNP; THURS: LP<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0WR Ben Skowronek (calf) \u2013 WEDS: DNP; THURS: DNP<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0LB T.J. Watt (rest) \u2013 WEDS: LP; THURS: FP<\/p>\n
\u2022 WR Roman Wilson (finger) \u2013 WEDS: DNP; THURS: DNP<\/p>\n
(* In 21-day window to return from injured reserve.)<\/p>\n
BUCCANEERS’ UNIFORM COMBINATION<\/p>\n
The Buccaneers will wear white jerseys and white pants against Pittsburgh in Week Six.<\/p>\n
WEATHER FORECAST<\/p>\n
Mostly cloudy, breezy and humid. High of 80 (feels like 82), low of 69, 25% chance of rain, winds out of the NE at 14 mph.<\/p>\n
GAME REFEREE<\/p>\n
Head referee: Land Clark (ninth season, seventh as referee)<\/p>\n
BETTING LINE<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0Favorite:\u00a0Steelers\u00a0(-2.5)<\/p>\n
INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS<\/p>\n
Points Scored: K Chase McLauglin,\u00a040<\/p>\n
Touchdowns:\u00a0RB Bucky Irving,\u00a03<\/p>\n
Passing Yards: QB Baker Mayfield,\u00a0615<\/p>\n
Passer Rating: QB Baker Mayfield,\u00a080.0<\/p>\n
Rushing Yards: RB Bucky Irving,\u00a0406<\/p>\n
Receptions:\u00a0WR Emeka\u00a0Egbuka,\u00a021<\/p>\n
Receiving Yards:\u00a0WR Emeka Egbuka,\u00a0192<\/p>\n
Interceptions:\u00a0LB Alex Anzalone\/OLB Yaya Diaby\/CB Jacob Parrish\/DL A’Shawn Robinson\/LB Josiah Trotter,\u00a01<\/p>\n
Sacks:\u00a0OLB David Walker,\u00a02.0<\/p>\n
Tackles: LB Josiah Trotter, 37<\/p>\n
Points Scored:\u00a0K\u00a0Chris Boswell,\u00a037<\/p>\n
Touchdowns:\u00a0TE Pat Freiermuth,\u00a04<\/p>\n
Passing Yards: QB\u00a0Aaron Rodgers,\u00a01,234<\/p>\n
Passer Rating: QB\u00a0Aaron Rodgers,\u00a088.9<\/p>\n
Rushing Yards: RB\u00a0Jaylen Warren,\u00a0410<\/p>\n
Receptions:\u00a0WR\u00a0DK Metcalf\/TE Pat Freiermuth\/RB Jaylen Warren,\u00a019<\/p>\n
Receiving Yards:\u00a0RB Jaylen Warren,\u00a0230<\/p>\n
Interceptions:\u00a0S Jaquan Brisker\/LB Patrick Queen\/S Robert Speers-Jennings, 1<\/p>\n
Sacks:\u00a0OLB T.J. Watt,\u00a04.5<\/p>\n
Tackles: LB Payton Wilson, 40<\/p>\n
TEAM STAT RANKINGS<\/p>\n
Scoring Offense: 25th (20.0 ppg)<\/p>\n
Total Offense:\u00a022nd\u00a0(306.4\u00a0ypg)<\/p>\n
Rushing Offense:\u00a07th\u00a0(133.0\u00a0ypg)<\/p>\n
Passing Offense:\u00a027th\u00a0(173.4\u00a0ypg)<\/p>\n
First Downs Per Game:\u00a023rd\u00a0(18.0)<\/p>\n
Third-Down Pct.:\u00a016th\u00a0(38.2%)<\/p>\n
Sacks Per Pass Attempt Allowed:\u00a030th\u00a0(11.26%)<\/p>\n
Red Zone TD Pct.: 27th (47.1%)<\/p>\n
Scoring Defense:\u00a014th\u00a0(22.4\u00a0ppg)<\/p>\n
Total Defense:\u00a07th\u00a0(299.4\u00a0ypg)<\/p>\n
Rushing Defense:\u00a02nd\u00a0(72.8\u00a0ypg)<\/p>\n
Passing Defense:\u00a020th\u00a0(226.6\u00a0ypg)<\/p>\n
First Downs Allowed Per Game:\u00a0t-4th\u00a0(17.0)<\/p>\n
Third-Down Pct. Allowed:\u00a0t-8th (33.9%)<\/p>\n
Sacks Per Pass Attempt:\u00a028th\u00a0(3.61%)<\/p>\n
Red Zone TD Pct. Allowed:\u00a012th\u00a0(53.9%)<\/p>\n
Turnover Margin: t-20th (-2)<\/p>\n
Scoring Offense:\u00a018th\u00a0(22.2\u00a0ppg)<\/p>\n
Total Offense:\u00a019th\u00a0(324.6\u00a0ypg)<\/p>\n
Rushing Offense:\u00a019th\u00a0(101.2\u00a0ypg)<\/p>\n
Passing Offense:\u00a015th\u00a0(223.4\u00a0ypg)<\/p>\n
First Downs Per Game:\u00a0t-21st\u00a0(18.6)<\/p>\n
Third-Down Pct.:\u00a028th\u00a0(32.8%)<\/p>\n
Sacks Per Pass Attempt Allowed:\u00a0t-21st\u00a0(7.53%)<\/p>\n
Red Zone TD Pct.: 22nd (54.6)<\/p>\n
Scoring Defense:\u00a010th\u00a0(21.8\u00a0ppg)<\/p>\n
Total Defense:\u00a013th\u00a0(324.2\u00a0ypg)<\/p>\n
Rushing Defense:\u00a013th\u00a0(103.4\u00a0ypg)<\/p>\n
Passing Defense:\u00a016th\u00a0(220.8\u00a0ypg)<\/p>\n
First Downs Allowed Per Game:\u00a0t-7th\u00a0(18.2)<\/p>\n
Third-Down Pct. Allowed:\u00a07th\u00a0(32.8%)<\/p>\n
Sacks Per Pass Attempt:\u00a014th\u00a0(6.96%)<\/p>\n
Red Zone TD Pct. Allowed:\u00a0t-6th\u00a0(50.0%)<\/p>\n
Turnover Margin: t-12th (+2)<\/p>\n
WHAT TO WATCH FOR<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0Kicker Chase McLaughlin\u00a0has\u00a0scored\u00a040\u00a0points\u00a0through the first\u00a0four\u00a0weeks of the season.\u00a0Those points have already moved him up two spots on the Buccaneers’ all-time scoring list\u00a0at 432 and have\u00a0put him in a tie with Mike Alstott for the fifth most in team history. Thus, McLaughlin’s next point scored will make him\u00a0the fifth-highest scoring Buccaneer ever.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0Quarterback Jalon Daniels earned his first win as a starting quarterback in Dallas in Week\u00a0Five, and\u00a0is expected to make his third career start on Sunday against Pittsburgh. If he does start and the Bucs win, he would be the first undrafted rookie quarterback to beat the Steelers since Warren Moon in 1984.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0McLaughlin has also made 46 field goals of 50 yards or longer in his career, tied for the 10th most in NFL history. With his next one, he will break that tie with Graham Gano and move and take over sole possession of the spot.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0Linebacker Josiah Trotter has a team-leading 37\u00a0tackles in his\u00a0four\u00a0games played so far (he missed Week Three against Minnesota due to a shoulder injury). If he gets\u00a0five\u00a0more stops against the\u00a0Steelers\u00a0he would set a new Bucs record for the most tackles by a player in his first five games, surpassing Kendell Beckwith (41) in 2017\u00a0and Lavonte David (41) in 2012.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Wide receiver Chris Godwin has 7,897 yards from scrimmage in his career. With 103 more he will join Mike Evans (13,062) and James Wilder (9,449) as the only players in franchise history to reach 8,000 yards from scrimmage.<\/p>\n
NOTABLY QUOTABLE<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0Head Coach\u00a0Todd Bowles\u00a0on\u00a0DL A’Shawn\u00a0Robinson’s impact on the rush defense:\u00a0“Oh, he’s huge. He’s a big part of it.\u00a0I want to say one of the top three reasons why we are that, not just physically on the field, but\u00a0off the field and holding everybody accountable, meeting with the guys, talking to the guys,\u00a0whether it’s the secondary, the linebackers, or the front.\u00a0He’s\u00a0one of the main cogs up\u00a0there and one of the main voices that really kind of keeps\u00a0that group going.”<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0Quarterback\u00a0Jalon Daniels\u00a0on his conversations with QB Baker Mayfield on game days:\u00a0“It just depends. Certain situations it’s about seeing if I’m able to switch up the cadence to be able to make the defense jump offsides. Sometimes it could be about my eyes, trying to move a defense one way to be able to open somebody else up.\u00a0Or,\u00a0it could just be something as simple as whenever we get into this situation, if they end up running this coverage, be aware of that. If they [do], alert it to something else and try to be able to get to another play. [There] are a whole lot of things that Baker has been able to stay in steady communication with me about and I appreciate that.”<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0Running back\u00a0Bucky Irving\u00a0on\u00a0choosing to try to fire up the offensive linemen before the win in Dallas: “Sometimes you’ve got to come out of your shell a little bit.\u00a0Just being able to know that I can fire the\u00a0guys up, knowing that when I do say something it means a little something because I don’t say a lot. Nobody likes losing. If you’re a competitor,\u00a0no one likes\u00a0to lose.\u00a0Soto know that when I say something it means a lot\u00a0to the guys, just being able to go out there and\u00a0execute at a high level.”<\/p>\n
\u2022 Defensive back Keionte Scott on limiting the production of Steelers running back Jaylen Warren: “It’s going to take guys running to the ball. Getting to your spot, trusting your help in the run game \u2013 I feel like that’s the biggest thing. Get into our spots, get in there and have the mentality that you know guys are on the way. So get in there and grab and come up with a body part.”<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0Cornerback\u00a0Zyon McCollum\u00a0on the challenges presented by Steelers wide receiver D.K. Metcalf: “Off the bat, strength and speed. He has a rare combination of size\u2026he’s kind of everything you want in an NFL receiver. And Aaron Rodgers is a savvy\u00a0vet and knows how to get the ball to him. They have a good connection so it will form a new challenge for us and we’re ready and excited to accept it.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ADDITIONAL 2026 CHANGES\/DEVELOPMENTS OF NOTE \u2022\u00a0The Buccaneers brought in a\u00a0quartet\u00a0of new coaches on the\u00a0offensive side of the ball,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":429064,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[589,7874,135,137,136,167003],"class_list":["post-429063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-featured","tag-game-preview","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news","tag-week-6-2026-steelers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=429063"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429063\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/429064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=429063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=429063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=429063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}