After signing two players from rookie minicamp, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers depth chart is starting to stack up and battles are developing at key positions.
A frenzied offseason seems to be winding down a bit. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on the other side of rookie minicamp and the focus now turns from what changes need to be made to the roster to what adjustments must happen this summer.
It’s been no secret that the Bucs have had little money to play with this offseason. A $55 million salary cap knot and $35 million in dead cap space left behind by Tom Brady retiring will do that to a team. Yet, the front office managed to masterfully navigate the choppy waters and make moves that seem to put the Bucs in a position to remain competitive in the first non-Brady year of the decade.
Jamel Dean was re-signed to restock Todd Bowles defense, as was Lavonte David, and new guys like Baker Mayfield and Chase Edmonds were brought in to help the offense. There are still moves to be made, something the Bucs made clear this past week when it invited in a handful of tryout candidates and ended up signing a pair to compete for roster spots in training camp.
What better time to take a look at the Buccaneers depth chart and where things stand?
Updated Buccaneers depth chart after signing two players from minicamp
Quarterback
- Baker Mayfield | Kyle Trask | John Wolford
This is the marquee battle of training camp, as so goes the quarterback position so goes the team’s fortunes. Baker Mayfield is expected to win the starting job, but Todd Bowles has been adamant that he won’t be handed the reins. There’s a chance that Kyle Trask wins this battle, and if he does things will get very interesting in terms of what the Bucs future looks like beyond this season.
Running Back
- Rachaad White | Chase Edmonds | Ke’Shawn Vaughn | Patrick Laird | Ronnie Brown
Wide Receiver
- WR1: Mike Evans | Kaylon Geiger | Kade Warner
- WR2: Russell Gage | Deven Thompkins | David Moore | Ryan Miller
- Slot: Chris Godwin | Trey Palmer | Rakim Jarrett | Taye Barber
Of the Bucs receivers on the roster right now, five are rookies with four of them being undrafted free agents. There will be plenty of battles to watch in training camp this summer in terms of who fills out the depth chart and who ends up being camp cuts, but at least one rookie appears to be safe.
Barring some unforeseen meltdown, Trey Palmer is almost certainly going to begin the season as the slot receiver behind Chris Godwin and could see a decent amount of playing time. Palmer was a Day 3 pick for the Bucs this year but brings decent size and speed with him from Nebraska.
David Moore is the newest member of the unit but also one of the most senior players. He’s been around since 2017 and has been a journeyman his entire career. Moore has stops in Chicago, Denver, and Green Bay as well as stints on the practice squad for Carolina and Las Vegas.
He spent the most amount of time with the Seattle Seahawks, which means he brings some familiarity for new offensive coordinator Dave Canales. That’s not a golden ticket to a roster spot but he has a decent chance of having an impact in camp and earning a role during the season.
Offensive Line
- RT: Luke Goedeke | Justin Skule | Grant Hermanns | Raiqwon O’Neal
- RG: Cody Mauch | Nick Leverett | Silas Dzansi
- C: Ryan Jensen | Robert Hainsey | Chris Murray
- LG: Matt Fieler | Aaron Stinne | John Molchon
- LT: Tristan Wirfs | Brandon Walton | Michael Niese
Bucs fans don’t need to be reminded, the offensive line was one of the weakest units last season. Unlike the running game, though, injuries ravaged the guys up front with Ryan Jensen being lost for the season before training camp was even over. From there guys like Donovan Smith and Tristan Wirfs played hurt during the season and it was a next-man-up mentality as it felt like offensive linemen dropped like flies throughout the season.
With Smith gone, the offensive line will look very different. Wirfs is moving to left tackle, Tampa’s Toothless King Cody Mauch will begin his career at right guard, and Ryan Jensen is hopefully going to be able to play the whole season. Matt Fieler was signed in free agency to play left guard and the expectation seems to be that Luke Goedeke will be replacing Wirfs at right tackle.
We’ve essentially seen all of these guys before, with the exception of Fieler and Mauch, but already it’s easy to feel better about the Bucs offensive line on paper than it was to watch them struggle through an incredibly tough season last year.