Tampa Bay opens preseason action Saturday night in Cincinnati against the Bengals, and here I’ll give you the inside scoop to help you get ready for Buccaneers football.
Pictured above are outside linebackers Chris Braswell (43) and Jose Ramirez (33) along with defensive lineman Eric Banks (93). All three are expected to play significant snaps with Cincinnati and through the remainder of the preseason, and all three have been impressive this week in training camp. Enjoy!
Bucks edge rushers are the focus
Buccaneers OLB Marquise Watts – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR
With Yaya Diaby out for the preseason and Joe Tryon Soyinka out for the preseason opener with an injury, the Buccaneers will get a long-awaited look at their backup outside linebacker. It’s unclear whether Tampa Bay will use veteran Anthony Nelson against the Bengals, but the three outside linebackers expected to get the most snaps are rookie Chris Braswell, the team’s second-round pick, and second-year edge rushers Marquise Watts and Jose Ramirez.
All three practiced more and had very good weeks, with Watts and Braswell both impressive in coverage, and Braswell recording his first interception of Baker Mayfield. Exclusive camp diary from PewterReport.com, Ramirez has attempted sacks multiple times in practice and has also improved his edge setting and run-blocking skills.
Tampa Bay is eager to see if there’s someone who can take the starting spot opposite Diaby from Tryon Soyinka. That player could end up being Braswell. He could be a late bloomer like Diaby was last year. Keep in mind that Diaby’s first sack came in Week 8 against Buffalo, and he had 7.5 sacks in the second half of his rookie season. Braswell could follow a similar trajectory.
Bucky Irving will carry a heavy workload in the preseason
Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving and quarterback Kyle Trask – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR
Running back Bucky Irving, a fourth-round draft pick by Tampa Bay, is expected to lead the Buccaneers in total yards as well as rushing in August. Irving’s work load has increased with veteran Chase Edmonds sidelined since the first training camp practice on July 24. He has worked out of the backfield as a runner and receiver with the starters and reserves.
Because the Buccaneers won’t be doing actual tackling in training camp drills, just slowing down the tempo, the team is interested to see how the 5-foot-8, 192-pound back will hold up running between the tackles in the NFL and how many carries he can handle per quarter and per game. Irving has been Oregon’s go-to back for the past two years, averaging 1.23 carries per game. 171 carries per season. Additionally, he caught 87 passes, including 51 last year.
Irving is expected to start against the Bengals, but with Rachad White out and Edmonds injured, Tampa Bay is left with just four backs. Sean Tucker is also expected to play significant preseason time, but all eyes will be on Irving to see if he can duck and dodge tackles with the same ease he did against Oregon.
Buccaneers are disappointed with yet another injury to Servosia Dennis
Buccaneers ILB Servosia Dennis – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR
Tampa Bay is excited about second-year inside linebacker Servoisia Dennis’ play — when he’s on the field. But Dennis missed last week’s training camp practice with an unspecified injury and won’t play in the preseason opener at Cincinnati. The Buccaneers are starting to get a little worried about his ability, because the best ability is to be available at all times.
Dennis played in last year’s preseason opener but missed the next two games and the regular-season opener with a hamstring injury. He made his first defensive start in Week 12 of his rookie season against Indianapolis, but missed the following week’s game against Carolina due to illness, missing a chance to start.
The former fifth-round pick missed out on a lot of valuable development time on the field, and Dennis isn’t in danger of missing the starting spot this year, but his absence will give JJ Russell and rookie Cullen DeLoach a chance to impress the Buccaneers coaching staff and scouts.
Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles plans to use Dennis in third-down packages because of his ability to blitz and cover, but he needs to see the second-year linebacker execute in practices and games before he can fully trust an expected increase in playing time. Dennis will need to use the final two preseason games to continue his development, sooner rather than later.
Graham Burton’s errant snap is not the problem
Buccaneers C Graham Barton – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR
Buccaneers rookie center Graham Burton has fumbled a few times so far in training camp, which isn’t unexpected. The Tampa Bay first-round draft pick will transition from left tackle in college to center in the NFL. He last played a game at center as a freshman at Duke.
Teams would rather have Barton fumble snaps in practice rather than in games and clear them up in August rather than September. Barton has faced players like Vita Vea and Kalijah Kansey in practice, preparing him to face bigger, stronger defensive tackles and more agile, athletic defensive linemen in the NFL.
Sure, he hasn’t won every game, but Barton has been playing well so far and looks to be in line to beat out veteran Robert Hainsey for the starting center spot. He’ll likely face Washington’s Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen, the best defensive tackle duo in the league, in Week 1, and of course, rookie Johnny Newton, the Commanders’ second-round pick.
Washington coach Dan Quinn will likely hold back on defensive tackles and deploy A-gap blitzes at linebacker to attack the rookie center in the season opener. Barton needs to play clean snaps in all three preseason games to show the coaching staff he’s ready and keep them from considering Hainsey instead.
Veterans, former starters who could be in jeopardy
Buccaneers DL Will Gholston Photo courtesy of USA Today
Buccaneers players to watch during the preseason include defensive tackle Will Gholston, veteran wide receiver Sterling Shepard, a relative newcomer, tight end Ko Kieft and defensive back Christian Izien, all of whom are not guaranteed to be with the Buccaneers in 2024.
At 33, Gholston is the second-oldest Buccaneers player on the team, tied with long snapper Zach Triner. Linebacker Lavonte David is the oldest Buccaneer at 34. Tampa Bay is excited about the potential of two new young defensive tackles, Eric Banks at 26 and Ernest Brown at 25. Keep an eye on No. 93 (Banks) and No. 74 (Brown) in the preseason. If they perform well, there is a chance they could knock both Gholston and Mike Green off the 53-man roster, as I suggested in my last blog. This week, we predict 53 members of SR’s Fab 5.
Shepard has been injured since his time with the New York Giants, and was sidelined last week with an unspecified injury, making it difficult for him to make the team. The Buccaneers have a lot of promising young receivers, and Jalen McMillan and Trey Palmer are sure to make the team. Roster, Rakim Jarrett and undrafted free agent Kameron Johnson also had impressive camp performances. At 30, Shepard is unlikely to play special teams, which could hurt his position. He needs to get healthy and play in the final two preseason games.
Buccaneers DB Tykee Smith – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR
Kieft isn’t a receiving tight end, so head coach Liam Cohen wants his tight ends involved in the passing game. And because he’s not a great blocker, he’ll need to perform well on special teams to beat out rookie Devin Culp, the team’s seventh-round pick, for the third tight end position — or slot in as a TE4 if the team keeps three or more tight ends. Kieft will need to have a standout preseason to improve his chances.
Idien, last year’s starter at nickelback, hasn’t been a standout in training camp so far. He finally intercepted a pass on Thursday, but he’s been getting beat in coverage more than the team would like. With the additions of third-round draft pick Tykee Smith, veteran free agent Tavierre Thomas and undrafted free agent Tyreek Funderburk all performing well, Idien’s inclusion on the team is not a sure thing. All three can play nickelback, and Thomas led the Buccaneers with three interceptions in camp and has been active on special teams. If Idien does make the team, it will likely be as a backup safety.
