It’s possible that teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers make a few more additions before Week 1, but we’re officially entering the addition by subtraction portion of the offseason.
The Bucs kicked off OTAs this week and will continue with offseason programs that will help determine who will be part of the picture moving forward. We know the bulk of the guys who are locked into roster spots, but there are more bodies in camp right now than spots in the locker room.
Already the Bucs have started making cuts, and there are a handful of guys on the roster bubble who need to find a way to earn their keep before it’s too late.
One Buccaneers player on the roster bubble at each position group
Quarterback - John Wolford
Right now it seems that Wolford might be safe, but the rumors of the Buccaneers potentially adding Ryan Tannehill to backup Baker Mayfield would significantly change things. Wolford was added to the active roster last season to avoid losing him to the Minnesota Vikings, but he was mostly a practice squad guy and didn’t see any regular season action.
Wolford was the emergency quarterback, which teams can carry under the new rules, but if the Bucs added Tannehill then Kyle Trask likely fills the QB3 role.
Running Back - Sean Tucker
Last season Sean Tucker was a phenomenal training camp story that never really translated into a meaningful role once the season started. He jumped Ke’Shawn Vaughn on the depth chart and began the year as Tampa Bay’s third running back but he didn’t do anything in the limited time he saw.
Eventually Tucker dropped behind Vaughn — who was later waived — and we haven’t heard much from him since. He showed a ton of upside in camp last August and his tape from Syracuse proves there’s a reliable running back somewhere within him.
Tampa Bay drafting Bucky Irving complicates things, though, and the release of Patrick Laird likely means that Tucker is the next running back out the door if the team needs to clear some space in the room.
Wide Reciever - Rakim Jarrett
It’s a crowded wide receiver room that isn’t getting any thinner, which might be bad news for Rakim Jarrett. He was an undrafted sleeper last offseason but he didn’t really pop during the regular season, falling behind Trey Plamer and Deven Thompkins in terms of impact.
Both of those guys might be competing for snaps this year, and both offer kick returning skills that Jarrett doesn’t. The arrival of rookie Jalen McMillan makes five receivers ahead of Jarrett that are locks for the roster, which is the amount the Bucs carried into the season last year.
There’s a chance he makes the roster with a solid training camp, but he likely ends up on the practice squad next season or somewhere else.
Tight End - Ko Kieft
There are a few guys on this list who aren’t necessarily bumping up against losing their job, but their place on the roster bubble is very much on the horizon unless things change. Ko Kieft is in a similar situation to Rakim Jarrett where the tight end room is crowded and he’s not very high up the ladder.
Cade Otton is the team’s TE1 while Payne Durham showed some serious flashes last year that could see him make the jump to TE2. Devin Culp was a seventh round pick this year but he could find a role as a hybrid reciever for depth.
The one saving grace for Kieft might be that the tight end group isn’t particularly strong. Unlike Jarrett, there aren’t as many walled off paths to the roster, but Kieft’s long-term future with the team is something that seriously needs to be considered.