Three talking points from Buccaneers initial 53-man roster

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers release their initial 53 man roster. There are certainly some things to discuss for the 2022 Buccaneers as it stands.

The deadline for NFL teams, including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has now passed and we now have clarity on what each team will look like for the 2022 NFL season, as of now at the very least. It’s an exciting time for a Buccaneers fans, and the NFL community as a whole, because it’s the last hurdle it’s a clear before the regular season kicks off at long last.

As far as the Bucs are concerned, their final 53-man roster when almost how are a lot of people expected. Of course there were a couple surprises ronin here and there, but on the hole, this was the group fans expected to go to battle wife. Here are just a handful of takeaways from the unveiling of the 2022 Buccaneers initial roster.

The Buccaneers receivers outside of the big four have something to prove.

Perhaps the biggest talking point of the initial 53 for the Bucs came from the wide receiver position. Cyril Grayson had become a fan favorite, and while his exit from Tampa Bay was disappointing to many, it wasn’t all that shocking. On the other hand, the departure of Tyler Johnson was both disappointing and shocking. He had a very strong preseason and training camp, not to mention the fact that he was coming along as a complete receiver, so this decision left a few eyebrows raised to say the least.

With that being said, the wide receivers that made the initial roster in their place, Breshad Perriman, Jaelon Darden, and perhaps most notably, Scotty Miller now have something to prove. Sure, they have produced in the past, to varying degrees, but the Internet is an influential place, so time will tell how big those chips on those shoulders turn out to be.

The Buccaneers were apparently always high on Ko Kieft.

Call this writer old fashion, but after the Buccaneers carved out a roll of a classic H-back in order to keep Ko Kieft on the initial roster as a fourth tight end in an effort to emphasize their new approach to leaning on the run game more just warms the heart. Some, nay, many will probably disagree, but that’s where we’re at right now with this decision.

As soon as they lined him up as a fullback at the goal line this preseason, with his lead blocking allowing Ke’Shawn Vaughn to plunge into the end zone, it seemed that Kieft’s fate was sealed. The specific role the team seemingly carved out for the rookie clearly meant that they were high on him, and it’ll be a lot of fun to see how he’s used to going forward.

The Buccaneers only undrafted free agent rookie deserved his spot.

The lone undrafted free agent to make the Buccaneers initial 53-man roster is none other than linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi out of Rutgers University. There’s no way to other way to describe it, Fatukasi was outstanding this preseason, particularly against Malik Willis and the Tennessee Titans, instantly turning him into a fan-favorite to make the roster.

The coaching staff seemed to agree, as Fatukasi was the only undrafted rookie bestowed with the honor of making the initial 53-man roster for the Buccaneers. With Lavonte David and others able to mentor him, the prospect of how this exciting prospect will be able to grow is an exciting one.

Obviously a lot can change between now and kickoff, the NFL does unofficially stand for “Not For Long” after all, but for now, the initial 53-man roster for the 2022 Tampa Bay Buccaneers should excite fans as they seem more than equipped to make another run at the Super Bowl.