The Bucs, one sleep away from kicking off the 2026 regular season on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals, are entering the new campaign a remarkably healthy bunch. Just three players — running back Sean Tucker (hamstring), wide receiver Jalen McMillan (knee), and offensive tackle Justin Skule (oblique) — were listed as doubtful on the team’s Week 1 injury report. No players were outright ruled out.
But on Saturday, Tampa Bay made a couple of roster moves that indicate they will likely be without Tucker and McMillan. The Bucs announced that running back Josh Williams and safety Ifeatu Melifonwu have been elevated from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday’s contest in Cincinnati.
Williams, an undrafted free agent pickup in May 2025, is in his second season with the Bucs. He made three appearances as a rookie, totaling 11 yards on the ground on four attempts. Williams was a contributor on special teams, taking five kickoff returns for 129 yards (25.8 yards per return).
Bucs RB Josh Williams – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect
Josh Williams Will Have An Opportunity To Stand Out For Bucs In Week 1
The former LSU Tiger entered training camp as the No. 4 running back on the depth chart behind Bucky Irving, Kenneth Gainwell, and Tucker. But after impressing in the early portion of camp, as well as in the first preseason game against the New York Jets in which he ran one in for six, head coach Todd Bowles made a bold call in Tampa Bay’s second preseason tilt against the Kansas City Chiefs. Williams entered the game first over Tucker, seeing just two carries and rushing for nine yards. He added another 24 yards on a pair of receptions.
“He had a good game last week,” Bowles said of the decision to play Williams ahead of Tucker. “He had a good game last week, and we wanted to see him against better guys, so we wanted to put him out there early. It didn’t mean [anything] as far as them flip-flopping, but we wanted to see him earlier.”
Neither Williams (eight carries, 21 yards) nor Tucker (five carries, 15 yards) were particularly impressive in the preseason finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, it sure seemed like the Bucs were lining up to keep Williams and send Tucker packing, given the fact that the fourth-year pro was set to earn $3.52 million in 2026 as the team’s third running back.
Bucs RB Sean Tucker – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Ahead of the 53-man roster cutdown, the Bucs and Tucker agreed to rework his deal. Tucker will now earn $2.5 million this season, and that was enough for Tampa Bay to keep him and cut Williams, who later returned to the practice squad.
Melifonwu signed with the Bucs in late July as the team entered camp thin at the safety position. The 27-year-old appeared to have a good shot of making the team, but fell just short as Tampa Bay decided to roll with three safeties (Antoine Winfield Jr., Tykee Smith, and Miles Killebrew). It looks like, after all, Tampa Bay will dress four safeties against a high-powered Bengals passing game in Week 1.
On the offensive side of the ball for the Bucs, with McMillan a likely inactive, rookie third-round pick Ted Hurst will slide up the depth chart and see an opportunity to contribute in his NFL debut.
Kickoff for the Bucs and Bengals is set for 1 p.m. ET on FOX. Tampa Bay is looking to get off to a 1-0 start for the sixth season in a row. They are 4-0 in Week 1 under Bowles.