Each week after a Buccaneers game, we’ll take a closer look at Tampa Bay’s offensive and defensive snap count distribution and evaluate what we can learn from the players who played the most and least in the game.
Let’s take a closer look at the Buccaneers players who received the most and least snaps during the season. A shocking defeat They beat the Broncos 26-7 at home.
Buccaneers’ attack
The running back position has been hotly debated as a rookie. Bucky Irving continues to shine When given the chance, Irving has outrun White and outran Ratchad White every game. This time, Irving had more carries than White, 9 attempts for 70 yards compared to 6 attempts for 17 yards. White barely attempted much in the second half when the Buccaneers had a big lead, but still got 42 more carries (74%) and 18 more carries (32%) than Irving. That’s less time than Irving played the week before. I don’t know why Tampa Bay doesn’t use him more.
Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin – Photo by Cliff Welch P/R
Chris Godwin has been the Buccaneers’ best receiver so far this year and had another solid game. The Buccaneers have relied on his consistency, boosting him to 89% of the playing time compared to Mike Evans at 82% and Jalen McMillan at 77%.
The switch from Godwin to McMillan isn’t a dramatic drop-off, but it’s frustrating to see McMillan barely involved through three weeks, with just three catches in three games. This week in particular, Evans was helpless with just two catches for 17 points, while McMillan only had one reception for six points in garbage time. He hasn’t been productive despite plenty of opportunities.
I don’t know if the Buccaneers don’t have much faith in backup tight end Payne Durham or if the coaching staff is a big fan of Cade Otton. He’s no longer playing the Iron Man role, but Otton’s 52 snaps equated to 91% of the playing time. Durham’s 21% was a big drop from 33% a week ago. Otton tied his career high with seven catches, but those catches were not significant and he fumbled late in the game.
So much for Liam Cohen stepping up his defense of Justin Sukur. There was talk this week of adding another lineman on first and second downs, and Robert Hainsey had one snap near the goal line. Meanwhile, not all was down to Sukur, but the Buccaneers were sacked seven times. Ko Kieft also played fullback and had one snap near the goal line.
Buccaneers Defense
The Buccaneers defense was cut down from 85 snaps last weekend to 68 total snaps on Sunday, so at least everyone wasn’t on the field that much. They likely were tired as well, given how efficiently the Broncos moved the ball on nearly every drive.
Buccaneers DT Logan Hall – Photo by Cliff Welch P/R
There were bound to be struggles up front without defensive tackles Vita Vea and Kalija Cansey, one of whom took the spot for the other defensive tackle Logan Hall, who has proven to be little more than a rotational tackle and not the impact player the Buccaneers envisioned when they drafted him with the first pick of the 2022 second round.
Hall’s snap count increased to 46, tying him with Greg Gaines at 68%, but neither of them had the same impact on the game as Gaines did a week ago, with Hall finishing with one tackle and Gaines finishing with two.
While C.J. Brewer and Will Gholston played as normal, the biggest jump was defensive tackle Mike Green with 22 snaps. This was Green’s third and final time being promoted from Tampa Bay’s practice squad. Ben Steele, who is on the active roster, played six snaps. If Green were to play more minutes, one can only imagine roster changes would be made to put Green on the 53-man roster and Steele on the practice squad.
Platoon Status Inside Linebacker It’s split pretty much straight down the middle. KJ Britt played 51% of the snaps and Cervosia Dennis played 50% of the snaps. Neither performed well, but to be fair, most Buccaneers players didn’t perform well.
Rookie edge rusher Chris Braswell saw an increase of five snaps. Who’s to blame that on a one-sided game? Anthony Nelson played 25 snaps for the second straight week, up to 37% of his total playing time. Nelson got a big stop on a fourth-and-goal early in the game, but failed to tackle Jahlil McLaughlin, who scored a touchdown on that play. He also missed a sack later on a 22-yard scramble by Bo Nix to escape pressure.
The Buccaneers have struggled to get sacks on the quarterback, especially on the edge, so it may be time to give Marquise Watts more playing time or bring in Jose Ramirez next week.
