4 winners (and 3 losers) from Buccaneers 17-14 win over Bengals

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers preseason got underway in Cincinnati on Saturday night, and there's already a lot for fans to chew on.

For the most part, things went well. It's hard to be mad about a game the Bucs win, with Tampa Bay walking away with a 17-14 win, even if it doesn't actually count. The game still matters, though, which was evident by the way a few players stood out above the rest to start making an impact.

Not everyone had a great night, and not all performances good or bad are created equally. We're merely at the start of the preseason and there's a lot of road left to travel before decisions need to be made and the roster is set.

4 winners (and 3 losers) from Buccaneers preseason win over Bengals

Winner: Bucky Irving

A lot was made about the Bucs' rookie class, and it took almost no time for it to start stepping up. Bucky Irving was a Day 3 pick, but he was the first rookie to shine in Saturday's opener against the Bengals.

He didn't finish as the leading rusher, but he was given the nod as starter and made the most of it.

Irving finished the game with six rushed and 28 yards, but found the endzone on Tampa Bay's second drive of the game. New offensive coordinator Liam Coen filtered a lot of the flow through Irving, which was not only an endorsement, but a nice glimpse into how he might be used on Sundays.

Rachaad White is the clear RB1, but Irving was drafted to be the Robin to his Batman. We have yet to see him in the same backfield as White, but everything he showed on Saturday suggests it's going to be awesome when we do.

Winner: Graham Barton

It's hard to argue that anything has been more of a letdown over the last two years for the Buccaneers than the offensive line.

Not even Tom Brady could elevate the offense behind poor offensive line play, and Baker Mayfield was held back at times last season by constant pressure. No element of the offense suffered more than the run game, though, which is a big reason Graham Barton was brought in with the No. 26 pick in this year's draft.

He made an immediate impact, throwing down a nasty block on the Bucs' first touchdown of the game.

That's a freight train doubling as a human being, as Barton turned his man into a blocking sled. It's not just that he threw the block, it's how deep into the play he dominated his assignment, which is something that has been missing over the last two years.

Barton still has a lot of distance left to run when it comes to becoming an anchor for the Bucs' offensive line, but his brief performance was a sight for sore eyes.

Loser: Kyle Trask

Not everything was positive on Saturday night. Kyle Trask wasn't a disaster, but he was hardly as good as he should be this deep into his career.

Trask was given the start with Baker Mayfield sitting the game out and ended up not doing much with the opportunity. He showed flashes when he was able to locate his first read and find a rythym, but as soon as that was gone and the Bucs needed him to freestyle, things fell apart in a hurry.

He underthrew some passes, made a few questionable reads, and ended up with an interception and a fumble (that he ultimately recovered). Trask finished the game 12-for-20 with 144 yards, hardly looking like a guy who has developed into a viable piece of the future over.

It's one thing to have a bad game, but this is the fourth year of Trask's career. He didn't get nearly as much attention as he probably should have with Tom Brady starting in front of him, but there's a chance we've reached the beginning of the end of his time in Tampa Bay.

Winner: Sean Tucker

Last year Sean Tucker won over Bucs fans as a training camp darling. A heart condition likely prevented him from being drafted, which meant he fell into Tampa Bay's lap as part of its impressive UDFA class.

Tucker earned the RB3 role behind Rachaad White and Chase Edmonds and looked like he was going to be an impact player, but ended up fading a bit once the season started. He showed all the flash he had last season in the opener against Cincinnati, which is hopefully a sign of things to come.

He finished with 10 carries for 68 yards, which led the Bucs in rushing on the night. There's not a lot of wiggle room at running back on the depth chart, with White, Edmonds, and Bucky Irving looking like the top three guys, but Tucker could give the Bucs a tough decision to make if he keeps things up.

Loser: Bucs dealing with end-of-half situations

One of the biggest frustrations last season was how badly the Bucs handled end-of-half situations. Oftentimes it was Todd Bowles inexcplicably deciding to not call timeouts to add points, or whatever the hell happened before halftime in Buffalo.

Twice on Saturday we saw the Bucs stifle their own momentum with poor end-of-half performances.

At the end of the first half, Tampa Bay allowed Cincinnati to convert a 4th-and-7 with 0:05 left, which allowed the Bengals to attempt a field goal. Had Evan McPherson made a booming kick, it would have tied the game.

The same thing happened at the end of the fourth quarter. After Tampa Bay marched down the field and took a 17-10 lead with under a minute left, the defense allowed Logan Woodside to lead the Bengals offense into Buccaneers territory. Had this not been a preseason game, a game-tying field goal would have very easily neen attempted and we would have headed to overtime.

It doesn't matter that this was a preseason game, the vibes at the end of the half were off all last season and they're not much better as things get underway this year.

Loser: Trey Palmer

This needs to be caveated as "Trey Palmer, the punt returner", as that's the specific area we probably don't need to see him in anymore.

Palmer made some strides toward being an impact player in his rookie season last year, and once again looked good with the reps he got in the preseason opener. He finished the game with just one catch but it was a nice 21-yard completion that reminded everyone of his ability to be a downfield threat.

One area we thought he might have an extra impact was in the return game. With Deven Thompkins in Carolina, the Bucs need to find a new kick returner, but it probably won't be Palmer. He had just two returns for 14 yards, but the bigger reason to pull him off is to ensure he remains healthy.

The Bucs don't need Palmer making an impact as a returner, they need him in the mix alongside Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Jalen McMillan.

Winner: J.J. Russell

The Bucs have a deep but unproven gorup of linebackers, which opens up a clear path for J.J. Russell to find his footing in the rotation. He's behind K.J. Britt and SirVocea Dennis on the depth chart, but continues to give Bucs coaches stuff to love.

He kept that going in the opener against Cincinnati, where Russell finished as the team's leading tackler and racked up seven tackles including six on his own. He might not be stealing a starting job, but Russell needs to look no further than the rise of Britt as proof of what strining some solid performances together can do.

Bucs coaches already love his game, and Russell moved a step closer to a bigger role on Saturday.

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