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.
Updated Buccaneers depth chart on defense
While the Bucs only signed one new player on the defensive side of the ball, there are a lot of new faces all over the depth chart. Rather than using the NFL Draft to rebuild the offense in the wake of Tom Brady retiring, the Bucs retooled the defense and used all but three picks on defensive players.
That’s not even counting the slew of defensive players who were added as undrafted free agents once the draft concluded, as there is an influx of young players vying for a roster spot this summer.
Defensive Line
- NT: Vita Vea | Deadrin Senat | Mike Greene
- DT: Greg Gaines | Willington Previlon | C.J. Brewer
- DE: Calijah Kancey | Logan Hall | Patrick O’Connor
Calijah Kancey was apparently who the Bucs were targeting all along with the No. 19 pick, and he fits perfectly next to Vita Vea. Greg Gaines came over in free agency from the Rams, and that trio makes up the replenished defensive front for Todd Bowles.
Logan Hall is a name to keep an eye on as the summer unfolds, as it seems the selection of Kancey might have been a referendum on him. Hall reportedly put on a lot of weight this offseason to perhaps slide into a rotation at defensive tackle, but even that seems to suggest he’s struggling to find a place on the roster and needs to have a big summer to prove his worth.
Linebacker
- LOLB: Joe Tryon-Shoyinka | YaYa Diaby | Cam Gill | Hamilcar Rashid | Brandon Bouyer-Randle
- LILB: Devin White | K.J. Britt | Ulysses Gilbert
- RILB: Lavonte David | SirVoccea Dennis | J.J. Russell | Jeremy Banks
- ROLB: Shaquill Barrett | Anthony Nelson | Jose Ramirez | Charles Snowden | Markees Watts
The newest face here is Markees Watts, who was the other player signed from rookie minicamp along with David Moore. It’s going to be tough sledding for Watts, as he joins a deep pool of talent in the linebacking corps. That being said, the Bucs knew they had a plethora of bodies at the position and still added Watts which seems to be a huge endorsement of what his potential impact could be.
Cornerback
- RCB: Carlton Davis III | Don Gardner | Keenan Issac
- LCB: Jamel Deal | Anthony Chelsey | Duron Lowe | Derrek Pitts
- NB: Dee Delaney | Zyon McCollum | Josh Hayes
PFF ranked the Buccaneers secondary as its biggest strength this offseason, but grouped in the safety unit to make that declaration. As a standalone unit, cornerback leaves a lot to be desired and there’s plenty of room for guys lower on the depth chart to leave their mark.
It’s a top-heavy position, as Jamel Dean and Carlton Davis III make up one of the finer secondary duos in the league. Beyond them, guys like Anthony Chelsey and Zyon McCollum can step up in big ways, as can rookie nickelback Josh Hayes.
Safety
- FS: Antoine Winfield Jr. | Nolan Turner | Kaevon Merriweather
- SS: Ryan Neal | Christian Izien | Kedrick Whitehead Jr.
It might seem like safety is in a similar position as the cornerback unit, but the depth chart is actually pretty solid here. Winfield is a stud and will almost certainly get a nice extension in the near future, and Ryan Neal could end up being one of the best steals of free agency.
What makes safety so interesting is that the Bucs didn’t add depth in the draft but loaded up with undrafted free agents. That makes this a hungry unit that could outperform by sheer will and need for survival, which could create a menacing secondary for Todd Bowles.