The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made the necessary moves to get down to 53 players before the National Football League’s roster deadline Saturday afternoon. Here is a look at who made the final cut and how it compared with my previous projections.
Quarterbacks (3)
Jameis Winston
Blaine Gabbert
Ryan Griffin
While I was pretty sure Ryan Griffin would be kept, I had no idea how serious the injury to Blaine Gabbert was. As it turns out, it wasn’t serious enough to warrant a stint on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List. While he may not dress for games immediately, is good news for the Buccaneers that they will not have to find a new veteran backup heading into the regular season.
Running Backs (3)
Peyton Barber
Ronald Jones II
Dare Ogunbowale
This was the first slight surprise of cut day (at least to me). Veteran Andre Ellington did not have a great preseason but was a familiar face to the coaching staff with knowledge of the system. Hats off to head coach Bruce Arians and his staff for not settling for familiarity (mediocrity) over quality. It isn’t something that could be said about the previous regime in Tampa.
Wide Receivers (6)
Mike Evans
Chris Godwin
Breshad Perriman
Justin Watson
Bobo Wilson
Scotty Miller
I actually had this one right if I cheat and combine my first and second roster projections. I was pretty sure the team did not want to expose Scotty Miller to waivers as he almost certainly would’ve been claimed. However, missing much of camp and half of the preseason with an injury combined with a lackluster performance in the two games he did appear in caused me to waver. In the end, Bobo Wilson‘s versatility and Miller’s blinding speed force the team to carry six receivers into the season.
Tight Ends (4)
O.J. Howard
Cameron Brate
Antony Auclair
Tanner Hudson
The tight end group shook out exactly as anticipated. Tampa Bay will carry four tight ends with Antony Auclair backing up O.J. Howard at the Y position while preseason star and league receiving yardage leader Tanner Hudson will serve as Cameron Brate‘s understudy.
Offensive Line (9)
Donovan Smith
Ali Marpet
Ryan Jensen
Alex Cappa
Demar Dotson
Caleb Benenoch
Earl Watford
Zack Bailey
Jerald Hawkins (trade)
In my second projection, I had Cole Boozer and Josh LeRibeus making the team based on their playing time in the preseason but noted the team was likely not thrilled with what they saw from either of them.
I was relatively sure a move would be made to upgrade at least one of those spots. Tampa Bay did just that in trading for Pittsburgh Steelers reserve tackle Jerald Hawkins. A 2016 fourth-round pick out of LSU, Hawkins has appeared in five games with one start in his NFL career. The team officially has him listed as the backup to Donovan Smith at left tackle.
Defensive Line (6)
Ndamukong Suh
Vita Vea
William Gholston
Beau Allen
Rakeem Nunez-Roches
Patrick O’Connor
Jeremiah Ledbetter appeared ticketed for the final 53-man roster before a high ankle sprain cost him the last two weeks of the preseason and, ultimately, his spot on the team.
His loss would be Patrick O’Connor’s gain. The third-year veteran makes the final roster after spending the better part of the last two seasons on and off of the Buccaneers’ practice squad. He registered seven pressures, five hurries, two sacks, and seven run stops in the 2019 preseason.
Outside Linebackers (4)
Carl Nassib
Shaquil Barrett
Demone Harris
Anthony Nelson
I had previously wondered why Noah Spence played 59 snaps in the third preseason game and now we know why. He was playing for his job. Needless to say, three hurries and one tackle did little to inspire the coaching staff. This experiment has mercifully come to a close.
While the release of Spence was not too surprising, the retaining of Demone Harris was a bit of an eyeopener. It’s not every day an undrafted player beats out a former second-rounder the new coaching staff is desperately trying to resuscitate. The former Buffalo Bull took full advantage of his opportunity and made the opening roster after spending much of 2018 on the practice squad. Once again, bravo to the coaching staff for prioritizing performance over all else.
Also, it’s nice to see Shaquil Barrett earn a starting job. The free-agent addition was nothing short of spectacular throughout the preseason registering 13 pressures, eight hurries, three sacks, and five run stops. The former Denver Bronco spent much of his career stuck behind first Demarcus Ware then Bradley Chubb. Now, he has a chance to shine as a full-time starter in Tampa.
Inside Linebackers (6)
Devin White
Lavonte David
Devante Bond
Kevin Minter
Deone Bucannon
Jack Cichy
The inside linebacker group turned out exactly as expected. Devin White and Lavonte David will be the starters with both Devante Bond and Deone Bucannon adding value with their versatility to play edge rusher and box safety respectively. Jack Cichy’s high-energy presence both on and off the field made him an Arians’ favorite. Expect him to be a core standout on special teams at the very least.
Cornerbacks (5)
Vernon Hargreaves III
Carlton Davis
Jamel Dean
Sean Murphy-Bunting
M.J. Stewart
Ryan Smith (suspended)
No real surprises here. The Buccaneers keep five with Ryan Smith landing on the suspended list for the first four games of the 2019 season. He may return thereafter especially if there is an injury. Look for the team to add rookie Mazzi Wilkins to the practice squad if he clears waivers.
Safeties (4)
Jordan Whitehead
Justin Evans
Mike Edwards
Darian Stewart
Darian Stewart making the team is probably the biggest surprise for me. When teams keep a fourth safety, he is usually a core special-teamer, but Stewart only logged three snaps on special teams the entire preseason. The guess here is some combination of M.J. Stewart, Jamel Dean, Justin Watson, and Sean-Murphy Bunting will handle punt gunner and kick coverage duties.
Special Teams (3)
K: Matt Gay
P: Bradley Pinion
LS: Zach Triner
KR: Bobo Wilson
PR: Bobo Wilson
The specialists shake out as expected. The team reportedly tried to trade Cairo Santos before the deadline but was unable to find a buyer. All that remains to be seen is if Arians continues to let Ronald Jones II return kicks. With the team only keeping three backs, the guess here is he will not.
Outlook
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will begin the Bruce Arians era next Sunday with a very different looking roster than what they featured a year ago. In all, 18 players that made this final roster had never been with the team in any capacity before 2019. Seven more are primarily practice squad players or joined the team during the season. It’s also a very young roster as only three of the 53 players are 30 or older (Greg Auman).
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