This time last year the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were being picked to be among the worst teams in the league, but tides have aggressively shifted.
Rather than having a Top 3 pick a the draft in Detroit this year, Tampa Bay played its final game of the season there in the NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs. It was a stellar season of over performing expectations, and it’s set the stage for the Bucs to continue building on all of the surprising success they had last year.
All of that starts in the preseason, and Tampa Bay knows how important these seemingly meaningless games can be. Last season the Bucs brought a record number of rookies to training camp, with a handful stepping up in big ways to help the team glide into the post-Tom Brady era.
Players like Christian Izien, Yaya Diaby, and Trey Palmer all started making an impact early on and each played a part in setting the foundation for the future. That’s what the Bucs are hoping to do again this year, albeit with more confidence, as the team attempts to once again prove those doubting them wrong.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2024 preseason schedule (Updated after Week 2)
Date | Time (ET) | Opponent | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
Sat., August 10th | 7:00 pm | at Bengals (W, 17-14) | WTTA-TV | NFL+ |
Sat., August 17th | 7:30 pm | at Jaguars (L, 20-7) | WFLA | NFL+ |
Fri., August 23rd | 7:30 pm | vs. Miami Dolphins | WFLA |
Unfortunately for fans outside of the Tampa viewing area, none of the Bucs’ preseason games are slated to be nationally televised or part of NFL Network’s coverage. Locally the games will be split between WTTA-TV and WFLA, with the latter getting the final two games on the schedule and the former getting the first.
The Bucs also are playing two away games this year after having two home games last year. It’s part of the league’s sliding schedule scale after a fourth game was dropped from the mix. The only real road test is the first game in Cincinnati, as Tampa Bay’s other games are closer to home in Florida.
We likely won’t see a lot from the starters, though, but that’s probably best for what needs to be accomplished. Another stellar rookie class is looking to make an impact and leave its mark, in addition to a slew of undrafted free agents, and the preseason light will shine bright for them to hopefully stand out under.
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