Tampa Bay Buccaneers Todd Bowles
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Starter Appears on Injury Report Ahead of Week 5 vs. Dallas Cowboys 1
There are not many teams that have had major preseason expectations and struggled like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have done thus far. Sitting winless through four games and having their starting quarterback sidelined with an injury, things are looking bleak at the moment. While the public knew about that injury, there was another injury that appeared on Tuesday that raised some eyebrows. Let’s take a closer look at who it is and what it means for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers list Chase McLaughlin on injury report
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
According to the official injury report, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Chase McLaughlin was a non-participant in Tuesday’s practice with a right groin/hip injury. He was not on the injury report on Monday, causing a bit of concern about his availability for Thursday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys. The injury is on the right side, meaning it is on the kicking leg itself and makes it more difficult to drive into the kick rather than the opposite leg.
If McLaughlin is not able to play, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will need to sign a kicker, as they do not have another on the roster or on their practice squad. However, with Tuesday being a walkthrough practice in the indoor facility, that causes a bit more of an alarm. McLaughlin has been a significant part of the Buccaneers this season, going 9-for-9 on field goal attempts and nailing all seven extra-point chances so far.
In terms of McLaughlin’s future, he is playing extremely well on a contract year. Expect to see him warming up on Thursday night to see if he is able to go, but if the Bucs were to sign a kicker, that can give a bit of an assumption about their concern regarding his status for the upcoming game. It will be interesting to see if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will need to make a roster move to add a kicker, or if McLaughlin will be able to play.