OTAs, minicamp, training camp, preseason. It’s all over for the Buccaneers. Now, before they turn their attention to their regular-season opener at home against the Commanders on Sept. 8, they have a tough decision to make. Tampa Bay, like every other NFL team, has to cut its roster to 53 players by Tuesday. From there, teams can begin forming practice squads.
“it is [really] “When a situation is tough, the worst thing you can do as a coach is try to destroy somebody’s dreams,” Bucks head coach Todd Bowles said. The final preseason game on Friday. “Nobody wants to be told that, but like I told them, there are a lot of ways to get back in this league. There’s practice squads, other teams, the USFL, Canadian Football. There’s always personnel movement, injuries, you want to bring guys back, so it’s important to keep a record, not just for our team, but for other teams in other leagues.”
Every team has tough decisions to make when it’s time to assemble their final 53-man roster out of training camp, and the Buccaneers are no exception, with some little-known names gaining more recognition as the summer progressed. Now that the preseason is over, there are a few positions where the toughest decisions will be made for Tampa Bay.
Some of the Buccaneers’ toughest cuts will come along the defensive line.
Buccaneers DT CJ Brewer – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR
The Buccaneers have done a great job of assembling talent up front. While the offensive line is pretty much set for now, it’s the defensive line group that will have to make the toughest decisions. Leading this line are Vita Vea, Kalijah Kansey and Logan Hall. That much is known. But the position has been open all summer, and now it’s time for Tampa Bay to finalize the group heading into this season.
C.J. Brewer and Ernest Brown IV were two young stars who capped off impressive camps and strong preseason performances with Friday night’s win over the Dolphins. Brewer followed up his strong performance last Saturday at Jacksonville with a quarterback hit, a tackle for loss and a pass breakup, while Brown also showed well on Friday night with a pass breakup and near-sack fumble.
“They played tough. They’ve been working hard all camp,” Bowles said Friday night. “It’s going to be a tough decision moment. We’ll have to watch the video.”
Luwal Uguak is another player on the defensive line worth considering, having flashed flashes of brilliance at times last week against the Jaguars, recording a sack and then another tackle for loss against the Dolphins. Brewer, Brown and Uguak make things very tough for Buccaneers brass over the next few days, but there are a few more players worth considering.
Buccaneers DL Will Gholston Photo courtesy of USA Today
Mike Green is a player the Buccaneers have developed over the years, but he may just be on the outside looking in for now. Still, he will be considered.
And then there’s the Will Golston incident.
The longtime Buccaneers player has a great locker room presence, understands Bowles’ defense well and could still provide value as a rotational player, but does Tampa Bay want to rejuvenate its defensive line and invest in players like Brewer, Brown and Uguak, even at the expense of a player like Gholston? holds a special place in the team’s history Who has been a mainstay in the locker room since 2013?
No one would envy the team’s decision-makers at any point in the team’s roster reduction process, but especially when the group is debating what to do on the defensive line. Friday SR’s Fab Five, Scott Reynolds of Pewter Report predicted Brewer and Gholston would stay.
We’ll soon see if Brown and Uguak do enough to defy that prediction.
The Buccaneers made a late push with several safeties hoping to make the roster.
Buccaneers DB Marcus Banks – Photo courtesy of USA Today
Safety isn’t much of a question mark for the Buccaneers, given they have Antoine Winfield Jr., Jordan Whitehead and possibly Kayvon Merriweather locked in. Additionally, they also have Tavierre Thomas all but locked in, who has been cross-training at safety, can play nickel cornerback and will be a key part of the special teams lineup.
But Tampa Bay has had a few young safeties emerge in recent weeks and struggle down the stretch, with Marcus Banks and Rashad Wisdom both showing enough to merit potential roster consideration — or at the very least, be very viable practice squad candidates the team can develop behind the scenes this year.
There’s also the issue of Christian Idien, who no longer seems a sure thing to make the roster. Idien was the Buccaneers’ starting nickel cornerback last year and was always going to be considered a likely replacement when the team signed Thomas and drafted Tykee Smith in the third round. With Smith projected to be the starting nickel cornerback this year, Idien ended up spending more time as a backup safety during camp.
It hasn’t been the best camp for Idien, though, and missing last week’s game with an injury didn’t help. He may have done enough throughout last year and the offseason to keep him on the team. But whether another safety unseats him or the team uses “his” position in a different position group and he falls victim to the numbers game, Idien could be one of the bigger surprise cuts when the Buccaneers narrow their roster down to 53 players.
Only time will tell, but solving the puzzle and finding roster and practice squad spots for Banks, Wisdom and Izien will undoubtedly be a challenge.
Recent developments may make the wide receiver decision easier.
Buccaneers WR Rakim Jarrett Photo Credit: Cliff Welch/PR
Wide receiver has been one of the Buccaneers’ deepest positions since the summer, and veteran Chris Godwin wasn’t wrong last week when he said there could be 10 players who could realistically make the team, with a number of receivers stepping up and making their case for a spot on the 53-man or practice squad throughout camp and the preseason.
But right now, the wide receiver decision may not be as tough as it once was. It’s not fair to say injuries to players are a good thing, but recent developments may make things a little easier for the Buccaneers as they start to round out their receiver corps.
That’s because Rakim Jarrett, long expected to be in the final group to be selected, recently suffered an injury, and Bowles said after Friday’s game that the second-year receiver from Maryland likely won’t be ready for the start of the regular season.
And this year, Due to new NFL rules Teams must place two players on injured reserve before roster cuts to avoid losing players for the season. Previously, teams had to cut their roster to 53 players first and then place someone on short-term injured reserve. Otherwise, if a player was placed on injured reserve before the final cuts, he would have been placed on IR for the season.
Buccaneers WR Cody Thompson – Photo courtesy of USA Today
That means the Buccaneers could keep Jarrett on short-term injured reserve rather than lose him for the entire season, which would allow them to keep Cody Thompson and Cameron Johnson, both big-time players in training camp, and delay any tough decisions at wide receiver.
Assuming they do and Jarrett goes on injured reserve, the team will finish camp with receivers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan, Trey Palmer, Cody Thompson, who again led the Buccaneers with 45 yards on seven catches, and Kameron Johnson. Ryan Miller, who had a nice 10-yard touchdown run and some great blocking on the perimeter against Miami, will also be considered.
But ultimately, when Jarrett is available to return, the team will have to decide whether to keep seven receivers and cut others (which may not be impossible given offensive coordinator Liam Cohen’s tendency to line up three receivers) or drop a receiver to make way for Jarrett.
