NFL Player News

The Buccaneers have activated McMillan (neck), who is officially listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Falcons, from IR.

McMillan and Mike Evans (collarbone) have both been activated from IR and are listed as questionable for Thursday Night Football after having been limited in three consecutive practices. Final word on McMillan's status for Week 15 will arrive no later than 90 minutes prior to Thursday's 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff, but it's a positive sign to see him activated from IR in time to be eligible to suit up against Atlanta.

Thornton has cleared concussion protocol, Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com reports.

Thornton will be available for Sunday's game at Philadelphia, but the extent of his role is unclear, especially after fellow rookie Jack Bech stepped up with six catches in Thornton's absence during a loss to the Broncos this past Sunday.

Branch (Achilles) has a recovery timetable of eight to 12 months after undergoing a successful surgery to address the torn Achilles he suffered Dec. 4 against the Cowboys, coach Dan Campbell said Wednesday, Justin Rogers of Detroit Football Network reports.

Branch has a high likelihood of missing at least some of the 2026 season due to this injury. Daniel Thomas likely will assume the starting strong safety role for the remainder of the 2025 season in Branch's absence.

McMillan (neck) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice and is officially listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Falcons, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

McMillan and Mike Evans (collarbone) are both officially listed as questionable after having logged a trio of limited practices, and they will each need to be activated from IR in advance of Thursday's matchup in order to be eligible to take the field. A 2024 third-round pick, McMillan is working to make his 2025 regular-season debut after having suffered a significant neck injury during an Aug. 16 preseason clash against the Steelers.

Stewart (knee) will have his 21-day practice window opened Wednesday, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

Head coach Zac Taylor said Wednesday that Stewart has a chance to play Sunday against the Ravens. Stewart would first have to be added back to the active roster from injured reserve, which the Bengals can do at any point in the next 21 days. In the meantime, the 2025 first-round pick is eligible to practice.

Smith (neck/shoulder) is listed as doubtful for Thursday's game against the Falcons, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Smith is likely headed for his first absence of the season after getting hurt in this past Sunday's loss to the Saints. In the likely event that Smith's ruled out Thursday, Kaevon Merriweather would be in line to start at free safety.

Evans (collarbone) was limited in practice Wednesday and is officially listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Falcons.

Evans has officially been listed as limited across all three of Tampa Bay's practice reports for Week 15, though head coach Todd Bowles said Wednesday that the veteran wideout still hasn't had any contact, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. The 32-year-old has missed each of the Buccaneers' last six games due to a broken collarbone, and it appears his status for Thursday's contest could come down to the wire. Per Scott Smith of the team's official site, Bowles said Evans and Jalen McMillan (neck) both "looked like they never left [...] in practice." Both wideouts will have to be brought off IR in advance of Thursday's contest in order to be eligible to suit up.

Lamb (concussion) is participating in drills at Wednesday's practice, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

Lamb appears to be taking part in Wednesday's practice in at least a limited capacity, a positive sign after he sustained a concussion during the Cowboys' loss to the Lions on Thursday, Dec. 4. The star wideout will need to gain full clearance from the concussion protocol, including from an independent neurologist, before returning to Dallas' starting lineup, so his availability for Sunday's game against the Vikings remains uncertain. Lamb's progress so far has nonetheless been encouraging.

Dennis (hip) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Falcons, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Deion Jones, John Bullock and Nick Jackson are candidates for increased playing time at inside linebacker alongside Lavonte David. Dennis will have 10 days to recover before the Buccaneers' next game, Dec. 21 against the Panthers.

Kincaid isn't listed on the Bills' injury report Wednesday, Alex Brasky of SB Nation reports.

After missing three games with a hamstring injury, Kincaid caught four of five targets for 41 yards and a TD in Sunday's 39-34 win over the Bengals. His role was about the same as pre-injury, with modest snap/route shares but standout efficiency numbers on a per-route and per-snap basis.