A new Pewter Report roundtable debuts every Tuesday on PewterReport.com. Every week, a Pewter reporter will tackle a different tough question. This week’s theme: What’s the most intriguing Bucs training camp battle?
Scott Reynolds: Trey Palmer vs. Jalen McMillan for WR3
Buccaneers WR Jalen McMillan – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR
I have already recently Pewter Pulse Video The battle between rookies for the WR3 position Jalen McMillan And second-year pro Trey Palmer is the most intriguing opponent in Buccaneers training camp. I stand by this claim: The role of the No. 3 wide receiver is more crucial than ever for the Buccaneers this year. With new offensive coordinator Liam Cohen running more 11-man formations (one running back, one tight end, three receivers) than Dave Canales did last year, the WR3 is a bona fide starter.
Add in the fact that Palmer has a year’s worth of experience catching passes from Baker Mayfield and McMillan is a third-round pick and extremely talented, and this training camp battle will be the fiercest this August. Palmer drew praise for his progress as a route runner and improved handles in the offseason. McMillan adapted quickly and easily from playing college ball in Washington to playing Z receiver in Tampa Bay.
The battle at left guard might be more important since the winner will be guarding Mayfield, but in terms of competitive level and pure entertainment level, the WR3 position is very interesting. The expectation here is that McMillan will win, just barely, but an improved Palmer could be the first receiver off the bench to fill the flanker, split end or slot and not fall off too far either.
Matt Matera: The King of Outside Linebackers
Buccaneers OLB Joe Tryon Soyinka – Photo courtesy of USA Today
Even though the Buccaneers plan to start Yaya Diaby at outside linebacker on one side, they have five or six potential starters on the other side. Whoever emerges from that role should earn it during training camp and put Tampa Bay in a better position to provide a pass rush without relying on blitzes.
Potential starters include second-round draft pick Chris Braswell out of Alabama, veterans with starting experience Joe “Tryon” Soyinka and Anthony Nelson, and second-year players Marquise Watts and Jose Ramirez. Veteran Randy Gregory is also a candidate, but he did not show up for mandatory minicamp and is an unexcused absentee. It is unclear whether he will remain with the team after training camp ends.
Ultimately, the Buccaneers plan to start Braswell, but who knows how the season will play out. Braswell is a physical presence and plays with a lot of energy. With Diaby and Braswell on the edge and Kalijah Kansey at defensive tackle, and some young players on the defensive line, the Buccaneers should be able to stay strong for a while.
Traion Soyinka is in the final year of his contract and has yet to really break out as a pass rusher, but he is a good edge-setting run defender and has shown glimpses of game-changing ability. Nelson has been very much a “Steady Eddie,” as Todd Bowles put it, throughout his career.
Watts is talented and had a big quarterback hit that led to an interception on Antoine Winfield Jr. when the Buccaneers beat the Titans last year. Ramirez was on the practice squad all of last season, but the team still thought highly of him and he’s improved this summer. The Buccaneers have a few options to find a starting outside linebacker, but it will depend on who takes the opportunity.
Bailey Adams: Su’a Opeta vs. Ben Bredeson to start at left guard
Buccaneers OL Ben Bredeson and RG Cody Mouch – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR
As far as I know, the starting left guard position is contested between Su’a Opeta and Ben Bredeson. Fight We’ll be watching as Buccaneers training camp gets underway. Of course, the competition won’t really get going until they put on the pads, but when they do, it’ll be a key competition to watch.
The rest of Tampa Bay’s offensive line is solidified with Tristan Wirfs at left tackle, rookie Graham Burton at center, Cody Mauck at right guard and Luke Goedeke at right tackle. Opeta and Bredeson signed on cheap free-agent deals in the offseason to compete for the vacant left guard spot.
Bredeson is 6-foot-5 and weighs 315 pounds, while Opeta is a bit smaller at 6-foot-4 and 305 pounds. Whoever wins the position will help improve the run blocking of the rest of the unit, as the Buccaneers’ ground game needs to be significantly improved in 2024. That’s not to say pass blocking isn’t important; the team just signed Baker Mayfield to a three-year, $100 million contract, and keeping him intact is paramount.
We’ll get a clearer answer as to who is the better option once preseason gets underway after watching Bredeson and Opeta play with the pads on. Both have been thrust into the starting line-up this summer and have received praise from coach Todd Bowles so far, but one of them will need to take the spot between Wirfs and Barton in July and August.
It will also be interesting to see how long Tampa Bay lets the fight slide. It seems like common sense that both Opeta and Bredeson would practice with the first team throughout camp and the three preseason games. And they probably will, but it will be worth watching what the Buccaneers coaching staff does after identifying their starting five offensive linemen early last year and then coordinating them throughout camp and the preseason.
But remember that it was Harold Goodwin and Joe Gilbert who oversaw last year’s offensive line configuration. They moved to Carolina along with former offensive coordinator and new Panthers head coach Dave Canales, with Kevin Carberry becoming the team’s new offensive line coach and Brian Picucci joining the staff as assistant offensive line coach. How they approach this competition along with Bowles and offensive coordinator Liam Cohen will be a subplot to follow along with the actual competition itself.
Josh Quaippo: There are multiple versions of the ILB
Buccaneers ILB KJ Britt – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR
Last week Pewter Report Roundtable, At least three people named inside linebacker as a potential sleeper on the roster. What’s really interesting is that my colleagues Matt Matera and Adam Slivon and I each picked different players from the same position group. When it comes to inside linebacker, one thing is set in stone at this point: 34-year-old veteran Lavonte David is entrenched at the top of the roster.
Many fans and media believe that KJ Britt, who replaced former first-round pick Devin White as starter at the end of last season, has performed well and is likely to become a starter alongside David, but I’m not sure Britt is locked down as a starter. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him and 2023 fifth-round pick Servosia Dennis in a time-share role similar to what Britt and White did late in the 2023 season.
Outside of who the ILB2 will be, there’s an intriguing battle brewing at the back end of the position group between Dennis, JJ Russell (a sleeper in my prediction from last week ) and undrafted free agent Cullen DeLoach, who was the backbone of a very strong Florida State defense that won the ACC title last year, with multiple possibilities to watch as camp approaches.
Adam Slivon: Tykee Smith vs. Christian Izien for the starting nickelback spot
Buccaneers DB Tykee Smith – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR
As we watch the battle between these two young defensive backs, we really could see each of them bringing out the best in the other as they compete for a chance to be high-level contributors on the Buccaneers defensive line. I recently wrote about Christian Izien and how he is Forgotten in the photo.
The undrafted rookie had a solid season in 2023, playing all 17 games and defending the nickel position vacated by Antoine Winfield Jr. Still, Tampa Bay drafted Tykee Smith in the third round, and Smith immediately became the front-runner to win the position.
But Ijien had to resist. He performed well last season, finishing with 65 total tackles, two interceptions and one forced fumble. He is best suited to playing in the slot due to only being 5’8″, but is a worthy player who could fill a role in some capacity.
Smith is in a similar situation. He comes from an NFL-caliber Georgia Bulldogs defense that required him to be versatile and play a variety of roles. After joining the Buccaneers, he was expected to cross-train at nickel and safety, both roles he played in college. But with Winfield and Jordan Whitehead as the two starting safeties, it would be tough to play there consistently.
So, back to the battle these two will be battling over the next month. Izien and Smith are both worthy candidates for the nickel position and each has plenty of value. The question is who will emerge and earn more trust from head coach Todd Bowles.
