NFC South

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady's Wednesday off days from practice lasted one week.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Brady took part in the team's first practice of the week after feeling "good enough" to do so.

Rapoport reported Sunday that the seven-time Super Bowl champion would receive the "not injury related—rest" designation for Wednesday practices throughout the season, giving Brady an additional day off each week.

Brady sat out the Bucs' first practice last week with the rest designation. He was a full participant in their Thursday and Friday practices.

One reason Brady may have decided to take part in the first practice this week is because the Buccaneers offense has struggled. Tampa Bay has scored 39 points, with six coming on an interception-return touchdown by safety Mike Edwards against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2.

Tampa has a host of key players who are injured. Receivers Chris Godwin and Julio Jones and offensive tackle Donovan Smith sat out the Saints game. None of the three players was on the field at the start of practice Wednesday.

Mike Evans won't play in Week 3 after his one-game suspension for knocking down Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore was upheld on appeal. The team signed Cole Beasley to the practice squad Wednesday to provide depth at wide receiver.

Brady had an unusual offseason as he prepared for his 23rd season. The three-time league MVP left the Bucs for 11 days last month for an undisclosed personal matter. His absence was approved by head coach Todd Bowles.

In his first two starts of the season, Brady has thrown for 402 yards with two touchdowns and one interception with a 59.0 completion percentage. He led the NFL in completions (485), attempts (719), passing yards (5,316) and passing touchdowns (43) in 2021.

The Buccaneers are 2-0 thanks in large part to the performance of their defense. They have held the Saints and Dallas Cowboys to 13 points and 552 yards.

Brady and the Bucs will host the Green Bay Packers in Week 3. Brady has won both head-to-head matchups with Aaron Rodgers since joining Tampa Bay in 2020.

Julian Edelman clearly feels snubbed by Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the team signed Cole Beasley to their practice squad.

The former New England Patriots receiver discussed the situation on Inside the NFL:

"[The Bucs] just signed Cole Beasley... I didn't get a call."

- @Edelman11

via @insidetheNFL pic.twitter.com/lg0YAvquHe

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 21, 2022

Edelman played for the Patriots from 2009-20, all but one of those years alongside Brady. He helped the team win three Super Bowls in that time, winning MVP of Super Bowl LIII.

Though he retired in 2021, Edelman said Brady tried to recruit him to come to Tampa Bay at the time.

With Edelman now more than a year removed from an NFL game, the Buccaneers instead went after Beasley, who caught 82 passes in each of the past two years with the Buffalo Bills. He could play an important role with receiver Chris Godwin dealing with a hamstring injury and Mike Evans suspended.

Edelman, meanwhile, will remain on television.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be without their No. 1 wide receiver for one of the most anticipated games of the early 2022 season.

Mike Evans' one-game suspension was upheld upon appeal Wednesday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. That means he will miss Sunday's potential NFC playoff preview against the Green Bay Packers.

Evans was suspended for his role in the scuffle during the Week 2 game between the Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints, and Schefter reported his appeal was heard Tuesday by appeals officer James Thrash, who was jointly appointed by the NFL and NFLPA.

While Evans and Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore were each ejected in the aftermath of the brawl, the Tampa Bay wide receiver was the only one suspended by the NFL.

The incident started when Lattimore appeared to exchange words with Tom Brady following an incompletion. Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette then prompted a shoving match with the cornerback, and Evans came running from near the sideline to shove Lattimore to the ground.

"I don't think it deserved any type of suspension," Brady said of Evans on his Let's Go! podcast. "I think that's ridiculous. Hopefully we can move past it, and get to a better place."

It was yet another exchange between Evans and Lattimore, who are not exactly known to be best friends. The wide receiver was suspended in 2017 for shoving the cornerback, while Lattimore was fined in 2020 for another on-field altercation with Evans.

Fortunately for the Bucs, the ejections didn't prevent them from defeating the Saints in a 20-10 victory.

Yet Evans' absence against the Packers may be a bigger deal, as wide receivers Chris Godwin (hamstring) and Julio Jones (knee) did not play against New Orleans because of injuries. If they can't go on top of Evans' suspension, Brady could be hard-pressed to find consistent options downfield in the aerial attack.

The Bucs did add Cole Beasley to their practice squad to provide more depth at wide receiver. It's unclear if he will have enough practice time with the team to get promoted to the active roster before Sunday's game.

Even though the Mike Evans-Marshon Lattimore skirmish was the headline event of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 20-10 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 2, it apparently wasn't the only situation the NFL took notice of during the game.

Per Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, the Bucs and former head coach Bruce Arians received a warning letter after Sunday's contest.

Florio noted specifics of the letter aren't known, but Arians "was clearly in the white stripe reserved for officials, players, and coaches during the altercation" and "also was clearly involved in the verbal aspect of the kerfuffle."

Arians stepped down as Buccaneers head coach in March but remains with the team as a senior football consultant.

Before Evans and Lattimore had their scuffle, Fox cameras caught Arians yelling at the Saints star cornerback from the sideline.

Marshon Lattimore and the Bucs sideline exchanged some words after the last play.

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/SYzYO3p5Gg

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 18, 2022

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said Arians was on the sidelines because there wasn't a seat in the main press box for him to sit like there usually is.

Florio noted after Bowles' explanation that the Buccaneers had booth No. 6 in the 700 level of the stadium for coaches whilst the Bucs ownership had a separate suite in Caesars Superdome that Arians could have sat in.

According to Florio, the Saints also provided Tampa Bay with 18 seats in the press box for team personnel and one of them specifically had Arians' name on it.

The altercation between Evans and Lattimore occurred in the fourth quarter. Evans told reporters after the game he believe Lattimore punched Leonard Fournette and pushed Tom Brady.

Both players were ejected from the game. Evans also received a one-game suspension without pay from the NFL, though he is appealing the decision.

Arians spent three seasons as Tampa Bay's head coach from 2019-21. The 69-year-old led the team to two playoff appearances, including a victory in Super Bowl 55 after the 2020 season.

The Buccaneers scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to beat the Saints and improve to 2-0 to start the season. They will host the Green Bay Packers in Week 3.

It didn't sell for more than $518,000 this time, but the ball that Tom Brady threw for his final touchdown pass before a temporary retirement sold for six figures at the Lelands Summer Classic Auction.

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the ball sold for $129,658.

The ball, which Brady threw to Mike Evans for a touchdown during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' divisional round loss to the Los Angeles Rams during the playoffs last season, originally sold for more than $518,000 after the all-time great quarterback elected to retire.

At the time, it seemed like it was the ball Brady used for his final touchdown throw, making it all the more valuable.

However, the future Hall of Famer decided to unretire just 40 days later, which was likely quite a revelation for the buyer who spent so much money the first time around. Fortunately for that buyer, the sale was ultimately voided upon news that Brady would take the field during the 2022 campaign.

The touchdown pass in question came during a thrilling comeback attempt for the Buccaneers.

They fell behind 27-3 in the third quarter of their matchup with the Rams, only to score 24 unanswered points with Leonard Fournette scoring two touchdowns and Brady finding Evans for the 55-yard score.

Yet the Rams spoiled the comeback by moving into field-goal range and ultimately winning as time expired when Matt Gay connected on a 30-yarder. Los Angeles went on to win the Super Bowl.

As for the touchdown ball, any item of memorabilia that is tied to Brady is sure to have some value given his position in the sport's history. He is widely accepted as the greatest quarterback of all time and has a resume that includes seven Super Bowl titles, five Super Bowl MVPs and three league MVPs.

For context, no single franchise in the league has more than six Lombardi Trophies.

Throw in the story of Brady's retirement and unretirement and the fact this ball already sold as part of an amusing story, and it comes as no surprise it still fetched six figures in an auction.

Fantasy managers are beside themselves at Kyle Pitts' lack of production through the first two weeks of the season, but the Atlanta Falcons tight end is not worried.

"It's early. It's a long season. It's 17 games," Pitts told reporters Tuesday. "Could go farther. So I'm not getting frustrated."

Pitts has recorded just four receptions for 38 yards in two games, making him one of the season's biggest disappointments from a production standpoint.

If you can buy low on Pitts, now may be the time to strike. Michael Rothstein of ESPN reported 13 of the Falcons' pass plays in Week 2 had him as the primary target. His lack of production has largely been a product of defenses scheming for him and Pitts' poor play.

The Florida product has struggled to create separation running routes. NFL Next Gen Stats ranks him No. 138 among pass-catchers in average yards of separation. That won't lead to on-field success.

Pitts is one of the most physically gifted players to ever play the tight end position and is coming off one of the most productive rookie seasons for a tight end in league history. He didn't become bad at football overnight. He's adjusting from Matt Ryan to Marcus Mariota, but the Falcons continue to use Pitts as a focal point in their offense.

A vast improvement is coming. Smart managers will use this slow start to target Pitts this week in trade talks.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have added depth to their depleted wide receiver group by agreeing to a deal with Cole Beasley.

Per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the Bucs will sign Beasley to their practice squad and elevate him to their active roster "soon."

According to Garafolo, Tom Brady has had Beasley "on his radar" for some time.

Beasley, 33, spent the previous three seasons with the Buffalo Bills after seven years in Dallas.

Utilized as a favorite underneath target of Josh Allen, Beasley racked up 80-plus catches each of the last two seasons and has been an effective slot receiver during his career. The Bills released Beasley in March, and he went unsigned throughout the summer.

Beasley became an increasingly controversial figure last year in Buffalo because of his staunch pushback over the COVID-19 vaccine. That stance may have played a part in his remaining on the free-agent market into the 2022 season.

As injuries piled up and games got underway, interest in Beasley began heating up. Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network reported the SMU product had multiple offers on the table after Week 1, but he chose to remain a free agent until Tuesday while looking for the right opportunity.

Beasley found a fit in Tampa, where he'll likely move immediately into his typical slot role. It remains to be seen whether he can be an effective target after averaging just 8.5 yards per reception last season, but the Bucs' hole at wideout provided the opportunity.

The Buccaneers played their Week 2 game against the New Orleans Saints without Chris Godwin and Julio Jones because of injuries.

Mike Evans has been suspended for one game due to a fight with Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore in Tampa's 20-10 win. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported the four-time Pro Bowler intends to appeal the decision.

Tampa's offense has been scuffling to start the season with 39 points through two games. Brady was visibly frustrated on the sideline vs. the Saints with how the group was playing.

Adding Beasley may not transform the Bucs into one of the league's best offenses, but Brady's desire to play with him does speak well of what the veteran slot receiver can bring to a team that is trying to win a Super Bowl.

There was apparently another source of vexation for Tom Brady when he was examining the NFL free-agent landscape in 2020.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers star said Monday on his Let's Go! podcast (via Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Times) that Ryan Fitzpatrick was not the "motherf--ker" he referenced in an episode of The Shop.

Brady said on the show one team showed interest when he was unsigned before backing out. That led him to think, "You're sticking with that motherf--ker?"

In an interview recently on the Dan Le Batard Show, Fitzpatrick said he thought he was the quarterback in question (warning: contains profanity):

"I still believe to this day that I am that mutha..." – Ryan Fitzpatrick believes that Tom Brady was talking about HIM when he delivered his infamous "that motherf*****" line during free agency 😂😂😂

🎙https://t.co/3qTZ4c9liF
📺 https://t.co/5criV2deLS pic.twitter.com/o2CeLGKeUf

— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) September 13, 2022

Fitzpatrick made plenty of sense.

Not only were the Miami Dolphins thought to be an option for Brady in 2020, but a tampering investigation by the NFL revealed how far back their interest in the future Hall of Famer went. The league discovered Miami vice chairman Bruce Beal had impermissible communications with Brady starting in August 2019, when he was still signed with the New England Patriots.

The Dolphins had Fitzpatrick signed for the 2020 season, and he was positioned as the starter when Brady was making his final decision in free agency. Brady signed with the Buccaneers before Miami selected Tua Tagovailoa in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft.

Because of that, you could understand why the 15-time Pro Bowler would be taken aback by Miami withdrawing from contention.

Alas, the mystery remains unsolved. The internet detectives will have to reconnect the dots to figure out who else it could've been.

Tom Brady appreciates his teammate having his back even if he doesn't agree with the ensuing punishment.

"The fact that Mike [Evans] would come out to defend me means everything in the world to me as a teammate," he said on his Let's Go! podcast with Jim Gray (h/t Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Times) when discussing the scuffle during Sunday's game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints.

Jenna Laine of ESPN reported Monday that Evans was suspended one game for his altercation with Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore.

"I don't think it deserved any type of suspension; I think that's ridiculous," Brady said. "Hopefully we can move past it and get to a better place."

The brawl overshadowed Tampa Bay's 20-10 victory in the latest chapter of the NFC South rivalry.

It started when Brady and Lattimore appeared to exchange words, and Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette responded by shoving the cornerback. Lattimore shoved him back before Evans came running into the fray to shove the Saints playmaker.

Both Evans and Lattimore were ejected.

Laine shared the letter written to Evans by NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan explaining the punishment:

"After a play had ended, you were walking toward your sidelines. When you noticed your teammates engaged in a confrontation with Saints' players, you ran toward that area on the field and violently threw your body into and struck an unsuspecting opponent who was part of that confrontation. You knocked your opponent to the ground and a melee ensued involving players from both teams. Your aggressive conduct could have caused serious injury to your opponent and clearly does not reflect the high standards of sportsmanship expected of a professional."

Evans and Lattimore are far from best friends, as the wide receiver was also suspended in 2017 for shoving the cornerback. Lattimore was fined $10,500 for an altercation between the two during the 2020 campaign.

While Brady appreciated Evans having his back, the suspension is a costly one for Tampa Bay ahead of a potential playoff preview against the Green Bay Packers.

The Buccaneers were already without wide receivers Chris Godwin (hamstring) and Julio Jones (knee) in Sunday's win and will be quite short-handed at the position if they do not return. Evans could also appeal the suspension, which Laine reported he plans to do, so his status is not finalized as of Monday.

Not everyone believes Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans deserved his one-game suspension from the NFL for his fight Sunday with Marshon Lattimore.

The league announced Evans would be the only player suspended from the incident, as first reported by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, but fans had other opinions:

Stupid, fine em and move on

— Woj (@hustinjerbert) September 19, 2022

For protecting his qb ya that make a ton of sense…

— Gabe🖤 (@gabe13_) September 19, 2022

Soft

— ✞ (@BijanCFC) September 19, 2022

League is soft

— EMR115 (@ERock065) September 19, 2022

Lame

— YungEazy💔 (@YunggEazyy) September 19, 2022

No Fun League is back

— Jay 🦅💚 (JST) (@EaglesBurna) September 19, 2022

It was just a push smh just fine him

— Alex (@ALEX_IX3) September 19, 2022

undeserved

— Carl 🐐 (7-9) (@cp13003) September 19, 2022

Evans started a scuffle late in the Buccaneers' 20-10 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, leading to an ejection for both himself and Lattimore:

Marshon Lattimore and Mike Evans both got ejected 😳 pic.twitter.com/gLBXI1tbY8

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 18, 2022

Evans was also suspended in 2017 after another incident with Lattimore.

The NFL did take the players' history in account when determining punishment, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Many fans still think Evans should be back on the field next game.