6 winners (and 2 losers) from Buccaneers preseason finale win over Dolphins

After a tough outing last Saturday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ended the preseason on a high note against the Miami Dolphins.

Tampa Bay pulled out a 24-14 win, but it was the way the team ended up in that position that will create some tough decisions in the coming days. The Bucs need to cut their roster down to just 53-players by Tuesday, and the preseason finale was one that doubled as a showcase for some guys hoping to earn a roster spot.

It wasn't just fringe players who stepped up and impressed, though. Tampa Bay ending the preseason on a high note felt good but the way some players looked should give fans confidence that things are trending in the right direction.

Winners and losers from Buccaneers preseason finale win over Dolphins

Winner: Liam Coen, Offensive Coordinator

We had already seen a few games out of Liam Coen, but Friday night was the first that featured starters. Not everyone played, as Mike Evans sat things out, but it's as close as we've seen to what things will look like during the season and there was a lot to love.

The Bucs needed just seven plays to go 70 yards and score a touchdown on the first drive. Given how elusive those were last year, it was a sight for sore eyes to see the offense working so efficiently and it was a glowing endorsement for Coen.

It was a small sample size that came in a preseason game, but it still gave Bucs fans plenty to get really excited about.

Winner: Kyle Trask, QB

We've been tough on Kyle Trask but credit is due for what he did on Friday night. Overall his preseason has been decent, although nowhere near where one would expect a fourth-year player to be, but he showed the right flash on Friday night.

Outside of the opening drive, Trask played the entire game and seemingly locked up the QB2 role for another year. He finished 17-for-24 with 141 yards and two touchdowns; it was arguably one of the best performances we've seen out of him in his career.

It wasn't just the stats, it was how comfortable Trask looked and how well he was able to command the offense that stands out as a massive positive.

He's not going to challenge Baker for the starting role, but it's hard to not have a little more confidence in him if he needs to step up in the event of an injury. He's still far from polished, but Friday night was the perfect way for Trask to finish up the preseason.

Winner: Cody Thompson, WR

One of the stars of the preseason has been Cody Thompson, and he delivered another impressive performance against the Dolphins.

The Bucs wide receiver situation is up-in-the-air, as five slots seem to be locked up and it's unclear if the team will carry any more than that. Thompson made a pretty serious case for the team to do exactly that, once again leading Tampa Bay in receiving with 45 yards and seven catches.

He's the definition of a fringe roster candidate, but if nothing else Thompson appears to have edged out the rest of the competition for the next-best thing to a roster spot. If he's left off the final 53-man roster, it's hard to not see the Bucs carrying Thompson into the season on the practice sqaud where he's one call away from being on the sideline on Sunday.

Loser: Jake Camarda, P

Let's be clear: Jake Camarda is in no danger of losing his roster spot but it still didn't feel great to see him flounder in the preseason finale. He had a 39-yard punt near the end of the first half and averaged under 45 yards on three kicks the entire night.

Meanwhile, Nolan Cooney boomed the kicks that he had and looked more like Camarada than the man himself.

When he's on, Camarada is one of the best players on the team, but he hardly looked it during the preseason. He's not going to get replaced anytime soon, but the stuff he was doing in August can't carry over into September. He's a game-changing punter with Pro Bowl potential and the Bucs need him to live up to that expectation once games start counting.

Winner: Jalen McMillan

So far this preseason the Buccaneers' rookie class has started to make a name for itself. Graham Barton looks like the real deal, Bucky Irving has been a stud, and Tykee Smith looks like he was born to play in Todd Bowles' defense.

On Friday night, Jalen McMillan joined the party. He only caught one pass on the night but it was the first highlight reel play of his career.

We got to see the first glimpse of the Baker Mayfield-Jalen McMillan connection, and it didn't disappoint:

McMillan is pretty much locked into the third or fourth wide receiver role, but his one drive with Baker was a nice glimpse into the future. He doesn't have to step up and be a superstar in his first year, but it's clear that he has that level of potential and it's going to be fun watching him develop next to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

Loser: Bucs Run Game

This one was tough, as the Buccaneers run game continues to spin its wheels in the muck.

We've seen flashes over the first three games, but Friday night was another stutter step rather than a leap forward. The Bucs finished with under 100 rushing yards on 26 carries, which averaged out to 3.7 yards per carry.

That's not what anyone is looking for out of a part of the offense that needs to start carrying its weight.

It was a preseason game, so the factors differed from what we'll see in a few weeks but there hasn't been much to suggest things have vastly improved from where they were last year. To be fair, both Rachaad White and Bucky Irving looked good so it seems there's a foundation for things to move in the right direction but so far the run game has left more to be desire than fans would like.

Winner: Sean Tucker, RB

While the run game was less than stellar, players in the backfield stepped up where they could. Sean Tucker made a serious case for himself to earn the RB3 role on the final roster and edge out Chase Edmonds, something that was on display against the Dolphins.

Tucker finished with 47 total yards, including a great catch-and-run in the fourth quarter that feels like the type of thing that will stick out in film study.

For the preseason Tucker finished with 156 total yards, leading the Bucs in rushing three weeks ago in Cincinnati. He was a training camp darling last year but faded once the season started, something that might not happen again.

He's made his case for a roster spot -- one that he deserves -- and he had earned a shot at proving himself during the season.

Winner: Antonio Grier Jr., LB

Last week Jose Ramirez stood out as a player on the roster bubble who stepped up, and this week Antonio Grier Jr. followed in his footsteps.

Grier came to Tampa Bay as part of its undrafted free agent class and had himself a night against the Dolphins. He finished just behind Tavierre Thomas as the team's leading tackler, posting seven total tackles but adding a great interception late in the game to his highlight reel.

The Bucs released Randy Gregory this week, opening up a roster spot that Grier could end up snagging. Ramirez was in a similar position last year, ultimately failing to make the final roster but spending the year on Tampa Bay's practice squad.

Grier could have that future in store, as he's made a solid case for the Bucs keeping him around beyond next week.

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