Buccaneers 53-man roster prediction before final preseason game

Safety (4)

As mentioned with the cornerbacks, one of the cornerback roster spots slides over to safety and belongs to Christian Izien. That seemed like a sure thing, though, as Izien impressed coaches and got Antoine Winfield's endorsement pretty early on this offseason. What's notable about his addition to the roster is he's expected to be one of two undrafted rookies to earn a spot alongside Iowa's Keavon Merriweather.

Merriweather is a brooding safety with a vicious hit stick. Dave Canales might be on the offensive side of the ball, but it's hard to not see him looking at Merriweather and talking to Bowles about how he reminds him of the guys who patrolled Seattle's Legion of Boom back in the early 2010s.

The real headliner at safety is how the Bucs could quietly have the best duo in the league. Winfield is joined by former Seahawks sleeper Ryan Neal, and the hype about them is already building as the season nears. Those two guys look like they're going to be an absolute force to the Buce secondary, which makes the depth of talent behind them an embarrassment of riches.

Special Teams (3)

There's absolutely zero roster drama here. After the Bucs released Rodrigo Blankenship following a poor outing against the Jets, the only question about special teams heading into the season was answered.

Chase McLaughlin won the kicking battle three weeks before the season started, which was the only loose end here heading into camp.

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