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Buccaneers: Players to watch during Week 16 in Carolina

By David Harrison

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 24: DeSean Jackson #11 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers carries the ball in the first half of the game against the Minnesota Vikings on September 24, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 24: DeSean Jackson #11 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers carries the ball in the first half of the game against the Minnesota Vikings on September 24, 2017 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images) /
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TAMPA, FL – JANUARY 01: Alan Cross #45 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pulls a piece of turf out of the facemask of Jameis Winston #3 in the second quarter of the game against the Carolina Panthers at Raymond James Stadium on January 1, 2017 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL – JANUARY 01: Alan Cross #45 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pulls a piece of turf out of the facemask of Jameis Winston #3 in the second quarter of the game against the Carolina Panthers at Raymond James Stadium on January 1, 2017 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Tight End, Alan Cross (#45)

With O.J. Howard placed onto injured reserve by the Buccaneers, it’s the depth of the tight end position we’ll be looking to see.

Alan Cross is one of the two I’m looking to see in action this weekend. The other being Antony Auclair.

While they both figure to see increased action in Week 16 and 17, I’m focusing on Cross just a bit more simply because he lines up as the fullback and can come out in a tight end role as well.

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Providing some value to the running game and passing game could be a wild card needed to get the Bucs over the hump against this division foe.

We’ll have to see how the offense actually employs him of course, but it should be interesting.

Cross has four receptions this year thus far, and has amassed 47-yards on those receptions, averaging 11.8 yards per reception with a long of 23 for the season.

When he was brought into Tampa as an undrafted free-agent, I for one, was very intrigued. He had caught my eye when watching game footage on quarterback Paxton Lynch out of Memphis – alma mater of Orlando Magic legend Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway.

Like former Bucs player Danny Vitale, Cross was an intriguing hybrid who has a do anything mentality and will give his team 100% every snap he gets on the field.

Since stepping in to One Buc Place, the Mark Cook lookalike has watched as Vitale, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Luke Stocker and Brandon Myers all got their walking papers while he was kept on.

The team sees something in him. I saw something in him. Now it’s time to see what he can do as a potential piece of the Buccaneers future.

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