Buccaneers inactives vs. Bengals: McMillan, Skule and Tucker out, Rozeboom active

The Buccaneers released their inactive list for the Week 1 opener at Cincinnati at 11:30 AM ET on September 13, 2026, ruling out seven players. The three injury-related inactives were already expected from Friday's report: wide receiver Jalen McMillan (knee), offensive tackle Justin Skule (oblique) and running back Sean Tucker (hamstring) had all carried doubtful designations into gameday.

Key facts

• The Buccaneers ruled out seven players for the Week 1 opener at Cincinnati, released by the team at 11:30 AM ET on September 13, 2026.
• Wide receiver Jalen McMillan (knee), offensive tackle Justin Skule (oblique) and running back Sean Tucker (hamstring) are inactive with injuries, as expected from Friday's doubtful designations.
• Linebacker Christian Rozeboom (foot), listed questionable on Friday, is active and will make his Buccaneers debut.
• Defensive linemen DeMonte Capehart and Elijah Simmons, cornerback Ayden Garnes and guard Billy Schrauth are healthy-scratch inactives, part of normal gameday roster management.
• The Buccaneers elevated running back Josh Williams and safety Ifeatu Melifonwu from the practice squad for this game.

Linebacker Christian Rozeboom, listed questionable on Friday with a foot injury, is active. He signed with Tampa Bay as a free agent this offseason and will make his Buccaneers debut against Cincinnati.

The remaining four Buccaneers inactives are healthy scratches, a normal part of gameday roster management rather than injury news: defensive linemen DeMonte Capehart and Elijah Simmons, cornerback Ayden Garnes and guard Billy Schrauth. To fill out the active roster, the Buccaneers elevated running back Josh Williams and safety Ifeatu Melifonwu from the practice squad for this game.

What it means

With McMillan and Tucker both out, Tampa Bay's Week 1 offense leans further on the players already expected to carry the load: Chris Godwin Jr. and Emeka Egbuka at receiver, and Bucky Irving at running back, with Kenny Gainwell as the primary complementary back behind Tucker's absence. Rozeboom's activation is the bigger swing from Friday's report, since a questionable tag on a new free-agent signing carried real uncertainty; his availability means Tampa Bay's linebacker room is at full strength for the opener.

Kickoff against the Bengals is 1:00 PM ET, 7:00 PM CEST, at Paycor Stadium.