With the preseason now in the books, all eyes turn to the Buccaneers’ front office as they face the tough task of trimming the roster down to 53 players before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline.
There’s no shortage of tough decisions to make, from sorting out the final spots in a crowded wide receiver room to deciding who opens the year as QB2 behind Baker Mayfield.
Final decisions rest with Jason Licht and his staff, but here’s a look at how the roster could take shape.
Buccaneers final 53-man roster predictions
Quarterbacks (2): Baker Mayfield, Kyle Trask
Trask opens the year with the backup quarterback job after an efficient preseason. With Teddy Bridgewater’s status as a vested veteran, the team can avoid guaranteeing his salary by opening the year with him on the practice squad and utilizing him as an emergency gameday quarterback that won’t count against the roster spot.
Bridgewater had a chance to win the job outright, but he has attempted just 11 passes in a Bucs uniform and was unable to play in a crucial preseason finale due to illness.
Running Backs (4): Bucky Irving, Rachad White, Sean Tucker, Josh Williams
There are no surprises in the first three names on the depth chart, but the twist comes with Williams carving out a spot as the fourth running back.
Williams made the most of his opportunities, impressing as both a runner and returner, while also showcasing a solid ability as a pass blocker. His versatility makes it too dangerous to try putting him on the practice squad where he could get snatched up by another team.
Wide Receiver (6+1*): Mike Evans, Chris Godwin Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Sterling Shepard, Tez Johnson, Ryan Miller, Jalen McMillan*
Godwin, despite his injury, will count against the roster limit as the team is avoiding placing him on the PUP list or injured reserve to allow an early return.
Jalen McMillan will also make the initial roster, but he’ll quickly be put on IR, so it felt like a technicality to include him on the projection. The Buccaneers will have Ryan Miller climb to the active roster in his absence.
Miller led the team in receiving yards this preseason, and proved to be a reliable option at the bottom of the depth chart behind the top guys.
Tight End (4): Cade Otton, Payne Durham, Ko Kieft, Devin Culp
The four tight ends seem pretty secure in their roster spots. Kieft doesn’t offer much as a receiver like the other options in the room, but his blocking ability is what sets him apart from the group and makes him valuable to Tampa Bay.
Offensive Linemen (10): Tristan Wirfs, Charlie Heck, Ben Bredeson, Graham Barton, Cody Mauch, Luke Goedeke, Elijah Klein, Benjamin Chukwuma, Luke Haggard, Sua Opeta
The offensive line is one of the trickier groups to sort out, with Tampa Bay balancing veterans, draft picks, and developmental depth. Heck and Chukwuma appear locked in as the backup tackles, while Opeta provides steady interior depth as a veteran presence, even as he continues to recover from a torn ACL.
Klein’s versatility is especially valuable as he can line up at guard, center, or even tackle in a pinch while Haggard similarly earns an edge thanks to his ability to swing between guard and tackle.
Defensive Line (6): Vita Vea, Calijah Kancey, Logan Hall, Greg Gaines, Elijah Roberts, C.J. Brewer
The first five spots in the defensive line room were easy to sort out, with all of them firmly secure in their roster spots. The final spot however came down to Brewer, Mike Greene, and veteran Adam Gotsis.
Brewer gets the nod here as he flashed in limited playing time last season, including two sacks in a loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Expect fan favorite Desmond Watson to be a candidate the NFI list. This prevents him from taking up a roster spot, but allows him to stick around with the team without being poached by someone else as he continues to work to get into playing shape for next season.
Inside Linebackers (4): Lavonte David, SirVocea Dennis, Deion Jones, Nick Jackson
Jackson and fellow undrafted free agent John Bullock both had a shot here at the final inside linebacker spot, but the nod went to Jackson due to his splash plays — notching two sacks and an interception during the preseason.
Free agent signing Anthony Walker Jr. will eventually be a part of this group, but he will begin the year on the NFI list as he continues to recover from a leg injury that has kept him sidelined through training camp and the preseason.
Outside Linebackers (4): Haason Reddick, Yaya Diaby, Anthony Nelson, Chris Braswell
Rookie fourth-round pick David Walker would’ve had a spot in this group, but an unfortunate torn ACL has the Buccaneers looking rather thin at the position.
Braswell holds onto his spot due to his status as a second-round pick last year, but after a relatively quiet preseason, the Buccaneers are really counting on him to take a big step forward in his development to raise the ceiling of this position group.
Cornerbacks (6): Zyon McCollum, Jamel Dean, Benjamin Morrison, Jacob Parrish, Kindle Vildor, Bryce Hall
The common belief is that Josh Hayes could land the final spot in the cornerback room due to his prowess as a gunner on special teams, but Hall is so much better in coverage that it could force the Buccaneers to reconsider.
Having Hall and Vildor as two veteran backups to round out the room is a massive improvement from the depth Tampa Bay had at the position last season, and Hayes can certainly land a spot on the practice squad.
Safeties (4): Antoine Winfield Jr., Tykee Smith, Christian Izien, Kaevon Merriweather
Rashad Wisdom, who can play both safety spots, has a real shot to land the fourth-and-final spot over Merriweather after a strong preseason. He even learned some nickel cornerback to step in in a pinch due to injuries, and Bowles is known for the value he places on versatility in the secondary.
For now though, Merriweather gets the nod over Wisdom due to his edge in experience, where he has played in 30 career NFL games compared to zero for Wisdom.
Specialists (3): K Chase McLaughlin, P Riley Dixon, LS Eric Deckers
No surprises here. The team’s three specialists have long been set in stone.