Tom Brady to Play in Buccaneers' Final Preseason Game Following Return to Team
Tom Brady will make his 2022 debut with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers tonight. The superstar quarterback is excepted to play in the team's third and final preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts at 7:30 p.m. ET. When speaking to reporters this week, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles was asked if Brady will see action in the game since he's missed 11 days of camp for "personal" reasons.
"Everyone who is healthy will play," Bowles said, per ESPN. Brady returned on Monday after missing 11 days and fully participated in practice all week. This will be the first time fans will see Brady work with his new set of weapons — tight end Kyle Rudolph and wide receivers Russell Gage and Julio Jones.
"He missed 11 days, but he wasn't playing in the first two [games]," Bowles said. "He's fine with everything. We know his condition and it's fine. He's getting back with the guys. He's throwing the ball and we're good. I think it was built up before we left. It's just having everybody intact, practicing at the same time. You know, his days would've fallen the same day Julio was off and obviously Mike [Evans] being injured — we didn't have a full slate there either, but they got to see a lot of things from the side and got to talk a lot. And I think the chemistry's good."
Brady joined the Buccaneers in 2020 after spending his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots. In his first season with the team, Brady won his seventh Super Bowl, which is also the team's second title in 18 years. In 2021, Brady led the Buccaneers to an NFC South title, but the team lost to the eventual champion Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round of the playoffs. This offseason was the first in Brady's career where he took time away from camp while not being injured.
"If it wasn't a situation, that we hadn't talked about it, and it wasn't important, I wouldn't have done it," Bowles said. "I have that kind of relationship as well do the coaches with a lot of the players and they all have private things that they come to us with. It just came to light more than the others. And we won't sway away from that. We don't give nobody breaks just to take breaks."