The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to face off against the Tennessee Titans in the preseason opener, just a few days removed from the teams’ joint practice together.
From bubble players fighting for a roster spot, to established players looking to increase their role and climb the depth chart, there’s plenty at stake in this matchup.
A few Buccaneers players in particular have a lot riding on their performance tonight.
Key Buccaneers players who need to make a statement vs. Titans
Chris Braswell, OLB
The Buccaneers are hoping for Braswell to take a big step forward in his development and have a bigger impact in 2025.
The 2024 second-round pick appeared in all 17 games as a rookie but logged just 1.5 sacks in a limited role. Now entering his second season, Tampa Bay is looking for more production from its premium draft investment.
Haason Reddick and YaYa Diaby will be the starting edge rushers, meaning Braswell will once again work in a rotational role. However, the stakes are even higher after rookie fourth-rounder David Walker tore his ACL in training camp, leaving the Bucs thinner in the pass-rush department.
“I definitely feel a lot more comfortable,” Braswell said during training camp. “I was able to really digest the whole playbook and see what I need to improve on. It definitely feels a lot easier this year.”
Tonight's matchup against the Titans offers Braswell his first live-game opportunity to showcase that growth to the coaching staff and ease concerns surrounding the team’s depth off the edge.
Shilo Sanders, S
As an undrafted free agent, Sanders is under immense pressure to perform if he wants to secure a roster spot.
Fellow undrafted safety J.J. Roberts has impressed all offseason, and made several splash plays against the Titans in joint practice. At this point, Roberts making the 53-man roster feels like a foregone conclusion, leaving one less spot for Sanders to claim.
Sanders has quickly become a fan favorite in his first offseason, making a concerted effort to endear himself to the Tampa Bay community. It’s worked to his favor, but ultimately his fate will be decided on the field. Tonight’s preseason matchup with the Titans is his first live-game chance to prove himself.
Currently listed as the fourth-string safety, Sanders is under no illusions about his role. He knows he’ll have to make an impact on special teams — as is the case for most backup secondary players — if he wants to stick.
“I want to be All-Pro special teams,” Sanders told The Athletic’s Mike Jones. “Show the coaches I could play, and that I play hard and be physical and earn their trust, make it on the field (defensively) one day.”
The desire is there, and Sanders is saying and doing all the right things. Now, he hopes to turn in a performance against the Titans that the coaching staff can’t ignore.
Jacob Parrish, CB
After drafting Benjamin Morrison out of Notre Dame in the second round, the Buccaneers doubled down on the cornerback position by selecting Parrish in the third round.
Parrish brings a special blend of speed, instinct, and playmaking ability. His blazing 4.35-second 40-yard dash ranked among the best at his position at the NFL Combine.
His five interceptions during his college career at Kansas State caught the Buccaneers’ attention as they look to generate more turnovers in 2025. Tampa Bay recorded a measly seven interceptions last season — one of the league’s lowest totals, with only the Browns, Jaguars, and Giants having fewer.
Bowles has been highly impressed with his rookie cornerback so far, offering major praise for Parrish’s performance since arriving in Tampa Bay this offseason. A strong showing against the Titans could help to further build that trust.
“It’s hard to say he’s grown because he’s been good since the first day he got here. You know, we correct him very little and that’s a scary thing…” said head coach Todd Bowles. “We don’t say his name much because he’s always doing the right things and you tend to forget he’s a rookie coming in.”
Parrish is currently the presumed starter at nickel cornerback, but he hasn’t locked down the role just yet. Players like Christian Izien and J.J. Roberts remain firmly in the mix, making this a competitive battle. A strong preseason showing could help Parrish end the competition and cement himself as a starter in his rookie year.
Sean Tucker, RB
Tucker is locked into a roster spot as the No. 3 running back behind Bucky Irving and Rachaad White, but his performance in the preseason could determine how big of a role he’ll serve in the offense this season.
Tucker didn’t see too much action last year, but to say he made the most of every rep would be an understatement. Tucker ran for 308 yards on only 50 carries — an impressive 6.2 yards per carry — along with two touchdowns. He also caught nine passes for 109 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Most of Tucker’s production came in a Week 6 win over New Orleans, where he rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown and also caught three passes for 56 yards and a touchdown.
Despite his breakout performance, Tucker’s role in the offense remained small — a result of being buried on the depth chart behind one of the league’s most dynamic running back duos. Irving and White were one of only two running back duos in the NFL last season to each eclipse 1,000 yards from scrimmage.
Still, the team loves what they have in Tucker as he rounds out what might just be the league’s most potent running back room.
“He makes plays. He’s a very good runner. He finds holes, he has a low center of gravity. He can break tackles,” said Bowles. “He’s exactly what we want.”
A strong performance against the Titans could give the Buccaneers no choice but to find him more opportunities this season.
Riley Dixon, P
The Buccaneers are hoping for much better production from the punter spot in 2025 after it was one of their weakest positions last season.
Jake Camarda, a former fifth-round pick who showed promise in his first two seasons, suddenly fell off a cliff in 2024. His net punt average of 36.5 yards would have ranked second-worst in the entire NFL over a full season. After just four games and 13 punts, Tampa Bay gave up on the struggling Camarda and signed Trenton Gill as his replacement.
Gill didn’t fare much better, finishing with a 38.9-yard net average, ranking 31st in the league and landing in the bottom five among punters.
This offseason, Tampa Bay hit the reset button and signed veteran Riley Dixon away from the Denver Broncos. The nine-year NFL veteran posted a net punt average of 42.2 yards last season, good for ninth in the league. Nearly 43% of his punts pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line — a career high that also placed him among the top punters in that category.
Dixon now needs to prove to the Buccaneers that his success wasn’t just a product of Denver’s altitude and that he can replicate that performance in Tampa Bay. Hopefully, the Bucs won’t have to punt often in 2025, but when they do, having a reliable punter who can pin opponents deep could make a bigger difference than many realize.
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