Buccaneers Winners And Losers vs. Redskins

In what may go down as the single, ugliest game I’ve ever witnessed, there were players fighting for spots on the Buccaneers’ 53-man roster. Who made a case to stay and who will likely be packing their bags?

That. Was. Awful. There’s no way around it. Yes, it was the final preseason game where 21 of the Buccaneers’ starting 22 were inactive but holy jeez…that was flat out painful. It’s unfortunate that you had guys fighting to keep their dream alive – remember, Adam Humphries made this team because of his performance in the final preseason game last year – yet they couldn’t truly compete because of the monsoon taking place.

In spite of all this, we still have some winners and losers from last night’s ugly loss to the Redskins;

Winners

Roberto Aguayo

Two weeks in a row! He only got two opportunities, but nailing a 50-yard field goal in those conditions was no joke. It was flat out impressive. That might be the final mental hurdle Aguayo needed to get over. Luckily, it came before the games actually count. Aguayo was perfect again and made up seven of the Buccaneers’ thirteen points. That’s what we wanted to see out of a kicker taken in the second round.

Johnthan Banks

Banks may still end up on the cutting room floor, but he definitely gave it his best effort. There weren’t a lot of plays to be made in the secondary, but Banks came up with a big pass break up on fourth down. He’s underwhelmed in practice, but may have done just enough to make the team. We’ll find out in the coming days.

Bernard Reedy

“Speedy Reedy” had a little trouble holding on to the ball on punt returns, but that’s not too crazy considering the conditions. The thing to take away from his performance was he was out there as the kick and punt return man far more than anyone else. On top of that, he provided the only Buccaneers’ touchdown – a nine yard pass from quarterback Ryan Griffin. Reedy may have worked his was in as the final receiver based on his special teams play, but that touchdown sure as heck didn’t hurt.

Losers

The entire defensive line

Anyone want to stop the run? Anyone at all? No? Fantastic!

The run defense was so unbelievably pathetic it looked like something out of a 1976 “lowlight” reel. Mack Brown was breaking through tackles with ease and getting chunks after chunks of yards. For most of the game, his longest run  – a 60-yard touchdown run – was more yards than the entire Buccaneers’ offense. Those are the results you get when Gerald McCoy, Clinton McDonald, and Robert Ayers aren’t around. Not panicking yet, but good heavens pray those men stay healthy!

Austin Seferian-Jenkins

He was closing the gap with Cameron Brate for number one tight end, but his attitude began to shine through, again;

Dude…you’ve been walking on thin ice for months. Yelling at your head coach isn’t usually the best idea when you’re in a game that will determine the NFL lives of most of the players in it. Not to mention, ASJ was still playing deep into the fourth quarter, so he may have re-buried himself on the depth chart. I sincerely doubt he doesn’t make the 53, but he didn’t help himself here.

Kenny Bell

He is gone. I told you all that he had to be the unquestioned star of this game to even give himself a puncher’s chance to make the team. He had one catch, a drop, and got zero looks on returns. The sun has set on Bell’s Buccaneers career. There’s not much else to say.

The 53-man roster will begin to take shape soon. After they’re down to 53, there will be plenty more moves as they claim guys off waivers cut from other teams.

Next: Bucs Lose To Redskins: Immediate Reaction

Who do you think will be cut? What positions might the Bucs focus on strengthening via the waiver wire? Let us know in the comments below!