Bucs To Watch In 2024 Preseason Week 2: Offense

The Buccaneers, who beat the Bengals 17-14 in their preseason opener last week in Cincinnati, are scheduled to close out the week on Saturday night against the Jaguars in Jacksonville.

Tampa Bay and Jacksonville will hold joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday, and the starters should have plenty of practice on those days, so Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles will likely employ a similar strategy to last week, meaning most starters, including quarterback Baker Mayfield, won’t play against the Jaguars.

Bowles previously said: He said he is targeting next week’s preseason finale against the Dolphins as a place to get game practice for his starters.

Still, there will be plenty of intriguing names to watch when the Buccaneers and Jaguars kick off Game 2 of their respective exhibition matches on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. First, we’ll pick one player at each position on the offensive line to watch against Jacksonville, then we’ll do the same on the defensive side of the ball on Saturday.

Buccaneers vs Jaguars highlights: Offense

Here are the Bucs players to watch offensively in Week 2 of the preseason.

QB John Wolford

Buccaneers quarterbacks Kyle Trask and John Wolford – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR

Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles Said this week After just one game last week, he said the competition for the backup quarterback position is “still close.” With Baker Mayfield missing the game against the Bengals, Kyle Trask started and played the first half, completing 12 of 20 passes for 144 yards and one interception.

John Wolford took over in the second half and completed 12 of 18 attempts for 131 yards. While Trask led two touchdown drives in the first half, Wolford led the eventual game-winning touchdown drive, connecting on big passes to Tanner Knuth and Ramon Jefferson for Jefferson’s game-winning touchdown with 1:05 left in the game.

Last week was a bit up and down for Wolford and primarily the third-team offense, but he and his team finished on a strong note and helped give Tampa Bay the win thanks to costly Cincinnati penalties late in the game. With Mayfield expected to miss the game against the Jaguars again, Trask and Wolford will likely each play halftime again.

If things stay the same over the next two weeks, Trask will likely retain the No. 2 quarterback spot, but if Wolford significantly outperforms him, the former Wake Forest University player, who has worked with Liam Cohen, could solidify his spot as Mayfield’s backup.

RB Sean Tucker

Sean Tucker, one of the stars of the offense that helped the Bucks win their preseason opener last week, must continue to perform well to solidify his place on the roster and his role in the backfield. As things stand, Rachad White and Bucky Irving are clearly the Bucs’ 1-2 punch, but Tucker is eligible to take on the RB3 role given Chase Edmonds’ continued absence. Edmonds’ absence isn’t the only thing in Tucker’s favor, however. Tucker really started to shine in camp, going for 68 yards on 10 carries in Cincinnati. His average of 6.8 yards per carry was undoubtedly aided by a nice 26-yard run, the longest of the game for either team.

Tucker is in prime position heading into the final week of the preseason if he can follow up his impressive performance in Cincinnati with another impressive performance Saturday night at Jacksonville. There’s no reason to expect him to overtake Irving for the No. 2 running back spot given his draft position and his strong performance in the preseason opener, but if the former Syracuse University star continues his hot streak and earns the coaching staff’s trust, he could have a chance to make an impact this season, especially in pass protection, a major concern for second-year running backs.

WR Rakim Jarrett

Buccaneers WR Rakim Jarrett Photo Credit: Cliff Welch/PR

A number of wide receivers performed well for the Buccaneers last week, with Ryan Miller, Tanner Knud and Cody Thompson continuing to perform well as they hang on to secure the final wide receiver position after camp ends.

But the focus here is on Rakim Jarrett, who appears to already be in the team’s plans as rosters are solidified heading into the regular season. Jarrett appears locked into the WR5 role, but like Tucker, a more standout performance could help him build more trust with the coaching staff and see his snap share rise come the regular season.

Last week against Cincinnati, Jarrett caught both passes for 35 yards, but his biggest gain was a 28-yard catch from Kyle Trask in the second quarter. The second-year receiver out of Maryland has shown a knack for making big plays on the field, with the biggest highlight of his 2023 rookie season being a 41-yard catch against the 49ers.

If he continues to make plays like this one and the 28-yard play from last week, he could have a big impact on an offense that frequently uses three-receiver sets.

TE Ko Kiev

Ko Kieft was one of the players who helped himself in the preseason opener. Pro Football Focus gave him The fifth highest grade The third-year tight end was given a 77.8 rating, the best of anyone on the Buccaneers’ offensive line. He caught one pass for eight yards, which came in a key moment in the second half to help the Tampa Bay offense convert a 4th-and-1. Kieft will need to show some pass-catching ability to stay on the roster again after camp ends, but he certainly helped himself by showcasing his special teams abilities last week. He finished with one tackle and one assist in the win over the Bengals.

For Kieft, it may be a numbers thing. If the Buccaneers decide to keep four tight ends, a group that includes Cade Otton, Payne Durham, rookie Devin Culp and Kieft, Kieft is a surefire safety. But if Tampa Bay decides to keep another receiver or wants to keep another player at a different position, the veteran tight end, who has primarily been a blocking type thus far, is in danger of losing out to Culp, who is not only faster and more reliable at catching passes, but is also praised for his “grit” as a blocker. Kieft has work to do if he wants to keep his spot, and Saturday night is his next chance.

C. Graham Burton

Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving and C Graham Burton – Photo courtesy of USA Today

The Buccaneers must be ecstatic about the performance of 2024 first-round draft pick Graham Burton in last week’s game against the Bengals. The rookie center was exceptional, posting the second-highest PFF grade (85.2) among the Buccaneers’ offensive linemen. Highest rated offensive lineman in the 2024 draft In the first week of preseason, he played 18 snaps, did not receive any pressure, and earned a pass-blocking rating of 80.1 and a run-blocking rating of 87.3. He played a key role in Bucky Irving’s first-half rushing touchdown and overall put a lot of great plays on tape.

The key now for Barton is to keep it up. He needs to follow up a strong debut last week with another strong performance in the second week of the preseason and solidify his role as Tampa Bay’s starting center, something he’ll certainly do by the time the season opens against Washington in two weeks. And if early results are any indication, general manager Jason Licht and his staff appear to have done a great job of finding another talented offensive lineman.

OL Luke Haggard

On the Tampa Bay offensive line, Elijah Klein was the third-highest graded player by PFF. On the Buccaneers offensive line, Graham Burton was the second-highest graded player. So who comes out on top of the group?

The man who received a 94(!!) grade from Pro Football Focus is none other than second-year lineman Luke Haggard. Haggard, who can play both tackle and guard, received such high marks and it’s easy to see why. He showed great practice footage on video and, as Todd Bowles noted this week, is showing the versatility that teams are looking for as they narrow down their offensive line group heading into the regular season.

Haggard may not have been on anyone’s radar until last week, as he was listed as the third-best right tackle on Tampa Bay’s first preseason roster. He was behind Brandon Walton, who played a fairly mixed game last week against Cincinnati. Walton was solid at times, but he also had a big loss in pass protection, a holding charge that ruined a drive and another holding charge that the Bengals had overruled.

Walton has been a versatile player for the Buccaneers over the last few years, but if Haggard continues to play the way he did a week ago, he could suddenly be a dark horse in the running to make the final 53-man roster. Haggard missed Thursday’s practice with a knee injury, so it will be interesting to see if he plays on Saturday.

G Elijah Klein

Speaking of the draft caliber of offensive linemen for Richt and his team, last week also saw a stellar debut for the team’s sixth-round pick, Elijah Cline out of UTEP. Burton earned the second-highest PFF grade among the Buccaneers’ offensive linemen, while Cline was a close third with an 84.4. He played 66 snaps in the game, entering the game in the second quarter and spending the rest of the game at both guard positions.

His performance caught the attention of Brian Baldinger, one of the best in the business when it comes to breaking tape (especially in the trenches).

Buccaneers G Elijah Cline – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR

Like Burton, Klein will be looking to build on a stellar start to his pro career. With Su’a Opeta suffering a season-ending injury, Ben Bredeson is sure to take over as the starter at left guard, but Tampa Bay’s coaching staff and front office must be pleased that Klein, who played right guard at UTEP, has proven he can play both guard positions.

This is great for adding depth to the 2024 roster, but it could also be the start of him developing into a potential starter at left guard down the line.