Top 3 position battles that will be decided during Buccaneers preseason

With the NFL season just over one month away, all 32 teams are beginning to make the necessary changes to their respective rosters ahead of the three roster cut deadlines. Over the next few weeks, teams will have to reduce their current rosters to their final 53-man rosters by August 31, with 85- and 80-man deadlines set for August 17th and 24th, respectively.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have over 80 players on their roster for offseason workouts, OTAs, and training camp. As the final few weeks of the offseason play out, Tampa Bay will begin to shape their roster by adding players to their practice squad and cutting other players.

With the Bucs particpating in mandatory training camp, these next few weeks will be crucial for specifric players to make the final cut and to stay with the team this season. That said, there are several position battles that will likely be determined by the final weeks of the offseason, some that may be a key role in Tampa Bay's success in 2024.

Center: Graham Barton vs Robert Hainsey

Back in April, Tampa Bay used their first-round pick to draft Barton, one of the best offensive linemen in the country. Barton, a two-time All-American, allowed just 50 pressures, 32 hurries, eight quarterback hits, and 10 sacks in 39 (starts). Coupled with pass block efficiency marks of 98.0, 96.5, 98.7 and 97.2 in each season, and Barton has been tabbed as a potential day-one difference maker for Tampa Bay.

That said, Tampa Bay is in no rush to start Barton right away, considering their depth on the offesnsive line. With the returns of star tackles Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke and the arrival of free-agent guard Ben Bredeson, Barton has been competing with incumbent starter Hainsey for the starting center job.

Throughout the entire offseason and training camp, Barton and Hainsey have each earned first and second-team snaps, but the latter is listed atop the former on the initial depth chart alongside starters Bredeson, Cody Mauch, Goedeke and Wirfs.

Hainsey was one of several Bucs' offensive linemen that struggled in 2023, allowing nine penalties and four sacks in 1102 snaps for a 52.8 PFF Grade. That proved to be a significant drop-off from 2022, where Hainsey gave up just two penalties and zero sacks on 1175 snaps for a 66.7 PFF Grade

Based on that, the overall margin between Barton and Hainsey isn't that big, but it's likely that Tampa Bay rides the veteran and his experience to start 2024. With Sua Opeta tearing his ACL in training camp, however, Barton is a key candidate to slide inside and start at right guard, with Mauch serving as the only other option at the position.

WR3: Trey Palmer vs Jalen McMillan

For the seventh straight year, Tampa Bay will own one of the league's premier wide receiver duos in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. With two consistent 1,000+ yard receivers set to return in 2024, quarterback Baker Mayfield is set up to succeed one again in Tampa Bay.

With the arrival of new offensive coordinator Liam Coen to replace Dave Canales, however, Godwin is expected to return to the slot as opposed to one of the Bucs' outside receivers. While the slot is Godwin's natural position, Tampa Bay will need to find a true deep threat to compliment Evans on the outside.

Fortunately, Tampa Bay has two potential replacements in Palmer and McMillan. Last season, Palmer, the Bucs' fifth round pick in 2023, caught 39 passes for 385 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 17 games (eight starts), earning a 51.3 PFF Grade.

Similar to Hainsey, Palmer has been labeled as Tampa Bay's WR3 behind Evans and Godwin in the Bucs' depth chart through the first few weeks of training camp. In terms of first-team rotation at training camp, however, McMillan has quickly established his role as the No. 3 receiver and has built chemistry with Mayfield.

“Anytime you can get another ball catcher, route runner, and intelligent receiver," head coach Todd Bowles said of McMillan. "He fits in well, no matter where we put him at. We’ve got a couple of guys behind him – obviously Trey [Palmer], ‘Rock’ (Rakim Jarrett) and the rest of the guys can play, as well. But, he fits in well with Chris [Godwin] and Mike [Evans].”

After two standout seasons at Washington, McMillan joins Tampa Bay with a major shot of opening week one as the starter alongside Evans and Godwin. As the final few weeks of training camp wind down ahead of the Buccaneers' week one game against the Commanders on September 8, the WR3 competition between McMillan and Palmer should be monitored heavily.

Nickel Corner: Christian Izien vs Tykee Smith

Throughout the offseason, the Bucs made several moves regarding their secondary, highlighted by the signings of free agents Jordan Whitehead, Bryce Hall, and Tavierre Thomas, along with the addition of 2024 third-round pick Tykee Smith. Even with trading Carlton Davis III to Detroit in May, Tampa Bay's secondary figures to be a strong point on their defense in 2024.

This year, incumbent Jamel Dean and breakout candidate Zyon McCollum project to be the Bucs' top two cornerbacks, alongside Antoine Winfield Jr. and Whitehead, the presumed starters at free and strong safeties. That leaves Hall and Thomas to backup Dean and McCollum on the outside, while Izien and Smith will compete for the starting nickel corner job.

In most of the Buccaneers' defensive schemes, the nickel cornerback is responsible for covering the opposing team's slot receiver, usually operating out of a heavy passing set. Even as an undrafted free agent, Izien did a remarkable job at that for Tampa Bay.

Playing in all 17 games, four of which were starts, Izien recorded 65 tackles, three tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, two pass breakups, and two interceptions, while earning a 66.8 PFF grade. Per Pro Football Reference, Izien allowed just one touchdown and 9.1 yards per completion on 58 targets, solid marks for a first-year undrafted safety.

The Bucs did later add Smith with their own third-round pick in the 2024 draft, who did a little bit of everything at Georgia. In his final season as a Bulldog, Smith totaled 70 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two pass breakups, and four interceptions.

Both Izien and Smith are good options to have at nickel cornerback, and both can succeed in tandem with Dean, McCollum, Winfield Jr., and Whitehead in the secondary. One player will ultimatly win the job, though, so keep an eye out for how the position battle fares for the remainder of the offseason.

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