The Tampa Bay Buccaneers kick off their joint practices with the Jacksonville Jaguars today. The teams will practice both Tuesday and Wednesday ahead of their preseason finale on Saturday night.
It’s a step up from the Buccaneers’ previous joint practice this preseason against the New York Jets. The Jaguars are coming off a 13-4 season and are one of the NFL’s best teams. The Bucs will have their hands full, but that’s a great way to prepare for the regular season.
There are three matchups in particular worth watching when the Buccaneers and Jaguars take the field together this week.
3 matchups to watch as Tampa Bay Buccaneers face Jacksonville Jaguars in joint practice
Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles vs. Jaguars HC Liam Coen
Liam Coen is a name that needs no introduction in Tampa Bay. He was the offensive coordinator in 2024, coaching Baker Mayfield to a career year and leading the Buccaneers to one of their best offensive units in franchise history.
Then, he left for the Jacksonville Jaguars job in controversial fashion. He essentially ghosted the Bucs after agreeing to a deal to make him the highest-paid offensive coordinator in the NFL. But that’s all in the past now.
Love him or hate him, Coen is an offensive genius, and one of the best play callers in the league. Meanwhile, Todd Bowles is heralded as a defensive guru, and he’ll get to trot out his new-look defense against Coen’s offense.
Seeing the chess match between these two coaches will be a perfect exercise for both coaches. They had this battle throughout Coen’s time in Tampa Bay ahead of the 2024 season, and their existing familiarity with each other’s schemes will make for a fun face-off.
Buccaneers edge rushers vs Jaguars offensive tackles
No unit received a bigger investment from the front office this offseason than the Buccaneers’ pass rush.
They signed Al-Quadin Muhammad in free agency and drafted Rueben Bain Jr. They also have David Walker returning from injury, and he’s been one of the team’s biggest preseason standouts.
The completely revamped pass rush has been the story of training camp, and they showed up with a dominant performance in last week’s preseason game against the Chiefs.
It'll be intriguing to see how Yaya Diaby, Bain, Muhammad and Walker fare against the Jaguars’ starting tackle duo of Anton Harrison and Walker Little. Another strong showing from the edge rushers would be an encouraging sign that the Buccaneers could have a dominant defense this season.
Buccaneers cornerbacks vs Jaguars wide receivers
One of the Jaguars’ greatest strengths is their wide receiver room. Parker Washington and Brian Thomas Jr. lead the way. Jakobi Meyers is a formidable WR3, but he’s battling an injury that could hold him out of joint practice.
They also, of course, have Travis Hunter, but he’s reportedly taking on the CB1 role and might not see the field much offensively.
Regardless, the Buccaneers cornerbacks will have their hands full with Jacksonville’s pass-catchers. It’ll be a great test for Tampa Bay’s young secondary, particularly for Jacob Parrish, who is moving outside after spending last year as the starting nickel.
Zyon McCollum is expected to be the CB1, and the Bucs are counting on a bounce-back season after he disappointed in 2025. Benjamin Morrison has been held out throughout training camp, and he’ll get thrown into the fire against a talented wide receiver group. Iron sharpens iron, and the Bucs cornerbacks will have to rise to the occasion or they’ll be embarrassed by the Jaguars’ explosive receivers.
It’s a great challenge to help prepare them before they have to take on the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1, who boast arguably the NFL’s best wide receiver duo in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
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