After a long offseason, the first NFL preseason game kicks off tonight. The Buccaneers won't play till August 10th, but the excitement for football has returned. The Bucs had a great season last year, and they hope to build on that in 2024. To help build Bucs fans' excitement, I've decided to preview what I think will be the 53-man roster going into week one. The Bucs will have many familiar faces returning this year, and a former Buc will be returning home.
Before we get into the roster breakdown, let's first look at the coaches at the helm. Todd Bowles is still the head coach and will continue to lead the defense. However, the Bucs have added a new offensive coordinator, Liam Coen. Coach Coen replaces Dave Canales, who left to become the head coach of the Carolina Panthers. Coen came from the University of Kentucky and was the offensive coordinator/QB coach last season. However, this is not his first time being an NFL coordinator, as Cohen was the offensive coordinator for the Rams in 2022. With the Bucs going through their third offensive coordinator in three years, it will be interesting to see how this offense will be under Cohen.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offense
Quarterbacks (3) – Baker Mayfield, Kyle Trask, John Wolford
Outside Looking In – Zack Annexstad
Baker Mayfield will return this season after signing a three-year deal worth up to $100 million with the Bucs. Mayfield had a breakout season, posting career highs in yards and touchdowns while limiting turnovers. He will hope to continue this success with Coen calling the plays and another year of building chemistry with his receivers. The former second-round pick, Kyle Trask, is still on the team and will continue his backup role going into the season. With not much hope of starting this year, barring injury, it's safe to say that Trask has been a disappointment so far in Tampa.
Running Backs (4) – Rachaad White, Sean Tucker, Chase Edmunds, Bucky Irving
Outside Looking In – Ramon Jefferson, D.J. Williams
There have been a few changes at running back this season. The Bucs return Rachaad White, Chase Edmunds, and Sean Tucker. However, rookie Bucky Irving has some promise. He was all-conference in college and has drawn many eyes in training camp. Irving will also fit very well in Cohen's running scheme because it's similar to Irving's one at Oregon. However, if we see Irving next season, it will likely be in a pass-catching role.
Wide Receivers (6) – Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Trey Palmer, Jalen McMillan, Rakim Jarett, Sterling Shepard
Outside Looking In – Raleigh Webb, Cephus Johnson III, Kameron Johnson, Latreal Jones, Tanner Knue
The Bucs made the correct decision this offseason by resigning Mike Evans to a two-year deal. The lifelong Buc reached the 1,000-yard mark for the tenth consecutive season last year. He'll look to do that again after establishing a deadly connection with Baker Mayfield next year. The Bucs will also return the highly productive Chris Godwin and the flashy Trey Palmer. However, rookie Jalen McMillan could see playing time early.
McMillan was part of an elite receiving group at Washington that featured fellow rookies Rome Odunze and Ja'Lynn Polk. Although he suffered injuries in college, when healthy, he was Washington's leading receiver. McMillan has also been receiving praise from his quarterback this preseason. Baker Mayfield told NFL Network that McMillan is "legit" and "he's a stud." With the addition of McMillan, the Bucs could be a top-ten passing offense this year.
Tight End (3)- Cade Otton, Ko Kieft, Payne Durham, Devin Culp
Outside looking – Devin Culp, Tanner Taula, Sal Cannella
The tight-end room is mostly the same this year. Cade Otton, Ko Kieft, and Payne Durham were all here last year and will most likely reprise their roles in this year's offense. The only notable addition is seventh-round rookie Devin Culp. Culp had little production in college, only catching 16 balls for 208 yards his senior season. Culp was overshadowed by the three other superstars receiving threats at Washington, who were all early draft picks. However, Culp had a fantastic combine, running a 4.47, the fastest by any tight end. This athleticism might be enough to make him a sleeper to make this roster, but we'll have to see.
Offensive Tackle (4) – Tristan Wirfs, Luke Goedeke, Justin Skule, Brandon Walton
Outside Looking In – Silas Dzansi, Luke Haggard
Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke will return at the two tackle spots this season. Wirfs, however, has been limiting himself in practice as he awaits a new deal with the team. The Bucs are actively negotiating with him, and the three-time pro bowler and two-time all-pro tackle will most likely be anchoring the left side of the line for a long, long time. Luke Goedeke will anchor down the right side on the other side of the line. Goedeke has proven to be a good tackle and has significantly improved since his rookie season in 2022. The young duo are 25 years old and could keep Buccaneer quarterbacks safe for years.
Interior Offensive Linemen (6) – Graham Barton, Ben Bredeson, Cody Mauch, Robert Hainsey, Sua Opeta, Elijah Klein
Outside Looking In- Lorenz Mnetz, Avery Jones, Xavier Delgado
The Bucs added two key contributors on the interior line this offseason. In the first round, they drafted Graham Barton, a standout at Duke who looks to be an immediate starter at center in week one. Secondly, they added guard Ben Bredeson through free agency. Bredeson played for the Giants previously and started the whole year at left and right guard. Returning is second-year guard Cody Mauch, who started every game last season. The Bucs will have a solid interior offensive line with these three healthy pieces.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Special Teams
Specialists (3) – Chase McLaughlin, Jake Camarada, Zach Triner
Outside Looking In – Evan Deckers
Chase McLaughlin inked a new deal with the Bucs during the offseason after setting the single-season field goal percentage record last season. If he continues where he left off, the Bucs could go far in the postseason. Jake Camarada is also returning for his third season. Last year, he saw improvements in touchback percentage and total touchbacks. The former fourth-round draft pick is only 25 years old and will hopefully continue to improve in seasons to come.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defense
Interior Defensive Line (6) – Vita Vea, Calijah Kancey, Logan Hall, Greg Gaines, William Gholston, Mike Greene
Outside Looking In – Eric Banks, C.J. Brewer, Earnest Brown IV, Judge Culpepper, Lwal Uguak
Vita Vea will return this season and hopefully be healthier this year than last. During the offseason, Vea hinted at losing weight after working out with former Buc, Ndamukong Suh. However, Vea recently reported that he is the same playing weight as last season. The weight he did shed off was the twenty pounds he gained during the offseason. When healthy, Vea has proven to be a dominant force and one of the best defensive linemen in the league. We also saw Calijah Kancey breakout as a rookie last season. Kancey had four sacks coming from the interior and ten tackles for loss. He and Vea could make for a great duo this season.
EDGE (4) – Yaya Diaby, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Chris Braswell, Anthony Nelson
Outside Looking In- Markees Watts, Jose Ramirez, Shaun Peterson Jr., Daniel Grzesiak, Jose Ramirez, Antonio Grier Jr.
I've decided not to include Randy Gregory on this list because of his off-the-field problems. Gregory didn't report to camp, and since he signed his one-year deal with the Bucs, no one has heard from him. He is also involved with a lawsuit with the NFL and Denver Broncos after failing a drug test last season. Overall, I expect the Buccaneers to move on from Gregory. In his place, I've decided to put Anthony Nelson. Nelson has been on the Bucs since 2019 and has 14.5 sacks.
Yaya Diaby had 7.5 sacks last season as a rookie, putting him fifth in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. Diaby is a young star who, alongside Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, could make for one of the best young edge duos in the league. However, he was carted off a matter of hours ago in training camp practice, but his X-Rays came back clean acording to multiple reports. Also worth noting is rookie Chris Braswell. Braswell was a second-round draft pick in this year's draft. The all-conference EDGE had eight sacks his senior year at Alabama and could be another big-time contributor for the Bucs this season as a rotational piece.
Linebackers (4) – Lavonte David, K.J. Britt, J.J. Russell, SirVocea Dennis
Outside Looking In – Kalen Deloach, Vi Jones
The old man, Lavonte David, is still here. The Buccaneer legend will be entering his 13th season with the squad. However, the linebacker room will need his guidance, as the rest of the room is full of young and inexperienced players. David outages the rest of the room by a decade and has 1400 more tackles than Britt, Russell, and Dennis combined.
I want to mention one player who is on the outside looking-in list. Kalen Deloach is an undersized linebacker who stands around 6'1 212 pounds. Deloach is an undrafted free agent out of Florida State but has the athletic ability to make an NFL roster. Deloach was first-team all-ACC his senior year with the Seminoles. He racked up seven sacks, 10.5 tackles for loss, one interception, and two forced fumbles. One of the fumbles he took fifty-six yards to the house in a tight game at Clemson. He followed all this by running a 4.47 forty-yard dash at the combine. It was a shocker to many when he went undrafted, and that's why I believe he could have a fighting shot at making this team. Deloach could be a great special team player, if not as a linebacker. You also never know what he could develop into. Lavonte David was also considered undersized coming out of Nebraska.
Cornerbacks (6) – Jamel Dean, Zyon McCollum, Christian Izien, Bryce Hall, Josh Hayes, Tavierre Thomas
Outside Looking In – Keenan Isaac, Tyrek Funderburk, Andrew Hayes, Chris McDonald
This is the position group I would be concerned with. Last year, the Bucs allowed the third most passing yards in the league. This stat may repeat this year since the cornerback group is essentially the same, if not weaker, as last year. The Bucs lost starter Carlton Davis to free agency and, in turn, only added Bryce Hall. Hall, coming from the Jets, only started two games last season. The Bucs must rely on veteran Jamel Dean and hope Zyon McCollum will significantly improve this season.
Safeties (4) – Jordan Whitehead, Antoine Winfield Jr., Tykee Smith, Kaevon Merriweather
Outside Looking In – Rashad Wisdom, Marcus Banks
Welcome back, Jordan Whitehead. After a two-year hiatus in New York, Whitehead has returned home to reunite the nasty safety duo of him and Antoine Winfield. Whitehead had career-highs in interceptions and tackles last season with the Jets. Bucs fans will be expecting similar numbers this season. Also worth mentioning is Bucs rookie Tykee Smith, their third-round draft pick. The former All-American is expected to contribute early as the Bucs safeties look like a significant strength going into the season.
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