Todd Bowles reveals toughest roster cuts Buccaneers will have to make

With just one more preseason game left on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers schedule, pressure is mounting when it comes to final roster cuts that need to be made.

Thanks to the new CBA, rosters only need to be reduced once during training camp but that means all of the cuts are saved for the same time. The Bucs will need to trim its roster of over 80 players down to just 53 players by next Tuesday, and based on how things have looked so far it's not going to be easy.

On the one hand, head coach Todd Bowles talked down the idea that this year's roster is as deep as ones he's had before. With that being said, he had no shortage of positions that will have a hard time cutting down when then time comes.

Todd Bowles highlights toughest roster cuts Buccaneers will have to make

Bowles went from saying the roster isn't as deep as it used to be to naming almost every position when asked where the most brutal cuts will be. He did, however, mention outside linebacker and safety as the top two positions where some painful cuts might need to be made, which is notable.

“I think outside [linebackers], safeties, and corners are going to be tough,” Bowles said. “Any time you have those kinds of guys and all of them can do a lot of things – that’s going to be tough. The depth at defensive line is going to be tough. The last guy or two on the offensive line…Between how many tight ends and how many [running] backs we keep, and that last [wide] receiver spot.”

Linebacker might be Tampa Bay's deepest position, and one of its most unproven. It's top-heavy with guys like Yaya Diaby and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka holding court, but boasts talent like Markees Watts, Jose Ramirez, and rookie Chris Braswell.

All of those guys seem like safe bets to make the team, but it all depends on how many players Bowles wants to carry. The same goes for safety, where Kaevon Merriweather, Marcus Banks, and Rashad Wisdom won't all be on the final roster.

It's a good problem to have, as while Bowles won't openly admit it the Bucs do have some talent buried on the depth chart that will be worth carrying into the season. Last year Christian Izien went from a UDFA to a Week 1 starter, while K.J. Britt took the starting inside linebacker job away from Devin White halfway through the year.

There's always a chance that a guy makes the case for a roster spot with special teams play, or ends up hanging around on the practice squad for a season. Not everyone on the fringe will get pruned, but it does seem like Bowles is selling his roster short when it's very clearly going to be a tough task to cut it down to just 53 players.

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