Buccaneers Monday Camp Updates

The Buccaneers released their first depth chart for the first preseason game on Saturday vs the Titans.   Here are the interesting things in my mind…

• Dexter Jackson is listed 5th on the WR depth chart ahead of Sammie Strougther.  I think those guys are battling for one roster spot with Maurice Stovall.
• Torrie Cox is listed ahead of draft pick EJ Biggers for the 4th CB spot.  Biggers has been looking much better in camp lately and that should be a nice roster battle.
• Matt Bryant is still the starting kicker as of this weekend.
• My preseason roster predictions are spot on at this point, other than Kelly Campbell being listed as the last receiver.

Luke McCown will start the first preaseason game and Byron Leftwich will start the 2nd preaseason game.

“I wouldn’t read too much into it,” he said. “I would just say you’ve got to put somebody in the front and we’ve got a long way to go until we figure out who’s going to be there permanently. We’ve still got a month to go. September 13th is when that real depth chart will come out and you guys will have a better feel.”

One of the most impressive players thusfar in camp has been Jimmy Wilkerson and HC Raheem Morris agrees.

“Wilkerson, I believe, is going to have a breakout year, and we’ll be talking about him next year,” he said. “I’ve been kind of quiet on him because I just let the man work. He’s a teacher to the young guys. He’s not the type of guy to get all pumped up. I’m usually looking elsewhere when I’m coaching because he’s a self motivated guy. He’s kind of quiet, he kind of hangs in the back, he talks to his players, he gets his guys fired up. It’s just a different type of demeanor. It’s like he’s been in the league for 13 years. He’s just a young, sharp, bright, locked-in guy.”

Raheem Morris on Angelo Crowell and his never ending knee issues.

“I kind of looked at him last week and I thought he was looking off in space somewhere. Then over the weekend, out of the blue, I got a call from Crowell and he said, ‘Coach, don’t give up on me. I’m coming back.’ I said, ‘Hey, do what you’ve got to do. Make it happen.’ So I’m fired up to see him play. I was happy to see him give me that call because you can kind of tell when you’re guy is starting to drift a little bit, and he was starting to drift…at least I thought he was until I got that phone call this weekend. So I’m fired up. I’m excited about it.”

Antonio Bryant is having his knee scoped and will miss the rest of the preseason.   Not a good sign for an already thin WR corp.