Buccaneers: Preseason Week Four Stock Report

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Justin Watson

If you ask me, the most impressive Buccaneer this preseason was wide receiver, Justin Watson. The sixth-round pick out of Penn University was an afterthought all offseason, as it was assumed that the Buccaneer receiver corps was more or less determined already.

However, Watson’s play in camp and the preseason has vindicated what general manager Jason Licht and his scouts saw in him during the pre-draft process and likely locked him up a roster spot.

Against the Jaguars Watson’s stat-line was meager – just two catches for eleven yards – but he made the most of his targets, catching a nine-yard pass and then a two-yard touchdown on a slant. Watson finished the preseason with two touchdowns, twelve catches and 130 yards, and would have had more if the coaches had kept him in the game longer (ultimately a good sign for his fate with the team).

There’s a danger in making too much of the preseason, but Watson’s physical measurables, long arms and natural hands are something that will directly translate to the regular season when his number is called upon. Long-term I think Watson has a chance to be a really solid contributor.

Shaun Wilson

If Watson was the most impressive Buccaneer this preseason, running back, Shaun Wilson was a close second. The former Blue Devil showed a versatile skill set as a pass catcher and has no doubt solidified a role with the Bucs as a third down specialist.

Particularly with Charles Sims’ injury and subsequent release, Wilson has pounced on his opportunity this preseason.

On Thursday night Wilson split time with several other runners including second-round rookie Ronald Jones and managed to outperform them all. He showed quick feet running routes out of the backfield, and natural hands on his two catches for 24 yards. On the ground, Wilson managed seven runs for 44 yards, good for a 6.3 yards-per-carry average.

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Overall it was the confidence that Buccaneer coaches showed in Wilson that stood out the most. They were intent on having him be the third down back throughout the game, which tells me they’re trying to groom him for that role in the regular season, especially with Sims now gone.

Jack Cichy

With Lavonte David, Kwon Alexander, Kendell Beckwith, and Riley Bullough all on the shelf for various reasons, linebacker duties were left almost exclusively to rookie Jack Cichy. Drafted in the sixth round of this year’s draft, Cichy has been furiously battling for a roster spot all summer, and finishes the preseason second on the team in tackles, with thirteen.

Thursday night saw some ups and downs from Cichy, but I thought overall he left the Buccaneer brass with a positive impression. He tallied three tackles including a sack and a pair of impressive tackles right at the line of scrimmage to stuff the opposing runner and seemed to move well from sideline to sideline.

Cichy is a natural player to root for given his recovery from a torn ACL suffered in his last season of college ball at Wisconsin. Thursday’s game marked a full year since the tear, and it appears to me that Cichy looks close to the guy he was in his first few years at Wisconsin when he looked bound for a productive career.

Unfortunately for Cichy the Buccaneers are packed with talented linebackers, so it won’t be easy to make the final cut.