Now that the preseason is officially over, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will need to start reducing the roster to 53 players. The deadline to get the roster down to proper size is Tuesday, which means these next few days will be filled with tough decisions all over the roster.
A few guys made things even harder to decide what to do after their performances in the team's preseason finale on Friday night.
The Bucs ended things on a high note, beating the Miami Dolphins 24-14 but doing so thanks to some players on the fringes of the roster stepping up. We all have a pretty good idea of who the locks will be, but handful of less obvious players made a serious case for making the final roster.
Not everyone here will make the roster, but that doesn't change the fact that they put their best foot forward and impressed with the effort they gave over these last three weeks.
5 Buccaneers players who earned a roster spot in preseason finale
Kameron Johnson and Cody Thompson, WR
One of the most crowded positions on the depth chart is wide reciever, and it's a decision that Kameron Johnson and Cody Thompson didn't make any easier.
Thompson was a consistent player throughout the preseason, finishing with 137 yards and a touchdown but was also one of the most targeted players on offense. A lot of that had to do with starters not playing, but Liam Coen still got a good look at Thompson and clearly liked what he saw.
The same goes for Johnson, who was less productive in the receiving game than Thompson but was just as impactful. He totaled jsut three catches in the preseason but projects to make the team as a kick returner as the team looks to replace Deven Thompkins this year.
All of this is contingent on how many receivers the Bucs decide to carry into the season. Johnson's case for a final roster spot feels a little safer because of the special teams angle, but Thompson at least elevated himself above guys like Ryan Miller and Cephus Johnson III for a top practice squad role, if nothing else. He deserves the WR5 spot, though, as he earned his way and clearly caught the attention of Bucs coaches these last few weeks.
Jose Ramirez, EDGE
A year ago, Jose Ramirez nearly earned a roster spot after fighting his way through camp as a late-round pick, but he just missed the cut. The Bucs thought highly enough to put him on the practice squad and keep him around and that decision has been rewarded this year.
Ramirez was a wrecking ball in the Bucs' second preseason game, finishing with five tackles and three sacks. He added three more tackles in the game against Miami and seems to be in position to land one of the coveted linebacker spots on the roster.
Much like last year, linebacker is perhaps the deepest position group, even if it's also one of the most unproven. Ramirez's path to the roster opened up when Randy Gregory was released, which coincided with his big game against the Jaguars.
Edge rusher is a spot the Bucs badly needed to address this offseason but ended up being unable to do, which means they'll have to look in-house for depth and solutions. That's where Ramirez's development comes in handy, as he looks to be in line to lead the second wave of a youth movement washing over the roster in Tampa Bay -- one that he has absolutely earned a spot on.
Marcus Banks and Rashad Wisdom, S
Last year we were having a very different conversation about the safety position in Tampa Bay. Outside of Antoine Winfield Jr., the Bucs had virtually zero depth and the gamble on Ryan Neal did not pay off.
This time around things are very different. There are three stone cold locks to make the final roster -- Winfield, Jordan Whitehead, and Tavierre Thomas -- with Kaevon Merriweather a very close fourth. Both Marcus Banks and Rahshad Wisdom are not far behind and each made very solid cases for making the final cut.
It's a testament to the way the Bucs were both able to address a position of need but also do so in a creative way. Banks and Wisdom are part of Tampa Bay's class of UDFAs, continuing a trend that started last year with the team being able to identify talent and pick out diamonds in the rough.
Christian Izien is suddenly a bubble player, especially with the rise of Banks and Wisdom, which creates a bit of a tricky situation at safety. It's a good problem to have, though, considering where things were this time last season at the position.
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