These Buccaneers are on the cutting board.
The preseason is hard for many reasons. Games like last night put on full display how hard it is to make an NFL roster, and teams like the Buccaneers play long stretches of these games only using players that won’t make the final roster.
The coming days are the hardest of the year across the league, as most players will find their NFL dream coming to an end. Even one bad play can be enough to have someone off the final roster, and with just over 30 cuts to make, every player has to use every rep possible to prove why they belong.
The Bucs are this strategy on steroids. As the reigning champs with a legitimate shot at a repeat title, the scrutiny in the Tampa player evaluation pool has to be even higher than everywhere else.
Yes, there are some fun stories to follow and players with plenty of talent to lean on, but Bruce Arians and the rest of the coaching staff have to make sure they build their team on talent and fit above all else.
The feel-good stories can’t sustain players any longer, and while some of the players that get the bad news in the next few days will have a chance with other teams and the practice squad, the following players aren’t far off from getting some bad news from the Buccaneers.