Meaningful football is right around the corner. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers must have the roster trimmed down to 53 by September first at 4:00pm. Before they do, here are my predictions on who is in and who is out.
@Ren_Daxt from The Pewtercast and myself had a really fun discussion on who makes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster. We both agreed on that there are really only five spots on the roster that are up for grabs.
2018 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Offense
Quarterbacks:
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Ryan Griffin
Analysis: With Jameis Winston serving a three game suspension he will initially not be on the 53 man roster. He can resume football activities with the team starting September 25, 2018. The question will then be will the Buccaneers keep three quarterbacks on the roster? Ren and I say yes. There is no doubt in my mind that Winston will be the starting quarterback week four against the Chicago Bears.
Embed from Getty ImagesRunning Backs:
Peyton Barber
Ronald Jones II
Jacquizz Rodgers
Shaun Wilson
Analysis: Shaun Wilson is less of a surprise at this point. Wilson is young, inexpensive and has more upside than Charles Sims. Sims has been been unimpressive besides 2015. He is not a good runner between the tackles and spends more time running east to west rather than north and south. Sims is now on injured reserve, but I truly believed Wilson would have made the roster over Sims regardless. Rodgers is sticking around for his role as a third down back and can be used in short yardage situations. Ren also pointed out that if Barber goes down with an injury Rodgers will take over the starting running back duties.
Wide Receivers:
Mike Evans
Desean Jackson
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Adam Humphries
Chris Godwin
Justin Watson
Bobo Wilson
Analysis: I am going to go out on a limb here and say that the Buccaneers will keep six wide receivers. Bobo Wilson makes the roster for his speed and playmaking ability. He is much improved from a year ago. I had Sergio Bailey making the roster before he fractured his ankle during pre-game warmups. Ren and I had a nice discussion on who would make the 6th spot he says Freddie Martino and brought up good points on why he would stick around. In the end, I went with Bobo Wilson and Justin Watson for the last two spots.
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Tight Ends:
O.J. Howard
Cameron Brate
Alan Cross
Antony Auclair
Analysis: This was one of the easier positions to nail down both Ren and I agreed that these will be the four. Tanner Hudson and Matt Weiser haven’t shown enough in preseason to push for a spot. Antony Auclair has improved in all facets of his game and it seems like Dirk Koetter loves Alan Cross.
Offensive Lineman
Donovan Smith
Ali Marpet
Ryan Jensen
Caleb Bennenoch
Demar Dotson
Alex Cappa
Evan-Smith
Leonard Wester
Mike Liedtke
Brad Seaton
Analysis: I have 10 offensive lineman making the roster. The first 7 are locks. The next three in my opinion will make the roster. Brad Seaton and Mike Liedtke played extremely well and played a lot due to injuries. Leonard Wester makes the roster because he has experience with this team and offense. Ren and I disagreed on possibly Cole Gardner or Cole Boozer making the team over Seaton. My thoughts are that both Cole Gardner and Cole Boozer have had injuries which have held them back. Availability is key, and neither have been all that available.
