The Tampa Bay Buccaneers open the 2022 NFL regular season on the road against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on Sept. 11.
With quarterback Tom Brady already retiring once this offseason, every aspect of the Bucs' roster will be constructed to give him the best chance at another Super Bowl. That includes carrying a whopping seven wide receivers -- a testament to the Bucs' much-improved depth at the position by the signing of Russell Gage and later Julio Jones, but it's also a move done in hopes of avoiding last year's injury bug.
Unfortunately, it's already gotten ahold of the offensive line, losing center Ryan Jensen and guard Aaron Stinnie to left knee injuries. Jensen's backup Robert Hainsey left the third preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts with a left ankle injury, and Hainsey's replacement Nick Leverett left the game with a shoulder injury, with the severity of both unknown at this point.
The roster will be cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET Tuesday. Here is a projection:
QUARTERBACK (3): Tom Brady, Blaine Gabbert, Kyle Trask
With almost all the quarterback reps this preseason, Trask didn't make the leap many were hoping to see from Year 1 to 2. He's processing things much quicker, and he delivered a beautiful 19-yard touchdown throw to Jerreth Sterns in the first preseason game. But he needs better pocket awareness and struggled when under duress, throwing two interceptions and fumbling three times. Ryan Griffin will once again land on the practice squad.
RUNNING BACK (4): Leonard Fournette, Rachaad White, Ke'Shawn Vaughn, Giovani Bernard
Bernard missed some time this preseason because of injury, which gave more opportunities to White as a potential third-down back. White has had some ball-security issues -- he was on the receiving end of a Trask interception in Week 1, and he coughed up the ball in Week 2 that led to a touchdown. Vaughn also has enough experience that if the Bucs wanted to go light here, they could cut Bernard.
WIDE RECEIVER (7): Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Julio Jones, Russell Gage, Tyler Johnson, Jaelon Darden, Deven Thompkins
Johnson had the best preseason of any Bucs wide receiver going into the final preseason game, catching 8 of 9 targets (on 23 total routes, mind you) for 97 yards, but after that, it got really tricky. Scotty Miller's downfield chemistry with Brady produced several of the most important catches in the Bucs' Super Bowl run, but under the lights this preseason in the first two games, he mustered one catch in four targets. Breshad Perriman, who had the game winner against the Buffalo Bills last year, has been injured. Darden's presence on the opening drive of the third preseason game was telling and he does offer kickoff and punt return ability. But so does Thompkins, an undrafted free agent out of Utah State who plays ridiculously bigger than his 5-foot-8 frame and has looked more consistent. Sterns, an undrafted free agent out of Western Kentucky, has similar attributes.
TIGHT END (4): Cameron Brate, Kyle Rudolph, Cade Otton, Ko Kieft
Rookies Otton and Kieft had strong camps. Otton was particularly impressive considering he's coming off ankle surgery and missed rookie camp and mandatory minicamp, but you can tell he paid close attention on the sideline. He has demonstrated a good grasp of the Bucs' offense. Kieft is a max-effort guy who brings the perfect level of toughness as a blocker, but he has also shown that, while his speed is lacking, he's a reliable pass-catcher.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Donovan Smith, Luke Goedeke, Ryan Jensen, Shaq Mason, Tristan Wirfs, Robert Hainsey, Josh Wells, Nick Leverett, Fred Johnson
The expectation is for Jensen to make the initial 53-man roster before being moved to injured reserve. It is still to be determined if he'll be able to come back late in the season, a la Vita Vea in 2020, but procedurally, this would allow the Bucs to do that. Jensen's vacated roster spot will then open up a spot for one additional player, which could go to Brandon Walton. John Molchon, who stepped in for both Hainsey and Leverett at center against the Colts, would be an option for a practice squad call-up.
DEFENSIVE LINE (6): William Gholston, Akiem Hicks, Vita Vea, Logan Hall, Rakeem Nunez-Roches, Patrick O'Connor
O'Connor once against earns the final spot because of his special teams ability.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER (4): Shaquil Barrett, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Anthony Nelson, Carl Nassib
Cam Gill had a really strong first preseason game, finishing with a sack and two tackles for a loss, but he suffered a Lisfranc injury and was waived/injured. Seventh-round draft pick Andre Anthony missed the cut here but would be a solid practice squad candidate.
INSIDE LINEBACKER (4): Devin White, Lavonte David, K.J. Britt, Olakunle Fatukasi
Grant Stuard has missed time because of a hamstring injury, which opened the door for Fatukasi, an undrafted free agent out of Rutgers who produced a team-leading 15 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 3 tackles for a loss in the first two preseason games.
CORNERBACK (5): Carlton Davis, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Jamel Dean, Zyon McCollum, Dee Delaney
Davis will start on one side, but with Murphy-Bunting moving exclusively to the outside, he's battling with Dean to start. McCollum missed the final preseason game with a hamstring injury but still gets the nod. As for the final spot, it came down to Delaney versus Rashard Robinson, and Delaney has been the most consistent from OTAs on, even though Robinson is a very good gunner on special teams.
SAFETIES (4): Antoine Winfield Jr., Mike Edwards, Logan Ryan, Keanu Neal
After making the initial 53-man roster last year, Chris Cooper spent last year on the practice squad and will be a solid candidate to return, as would Nolan Turner, an undrafted free agent out of Clemson.
SPECIALISTS (3): Ryan Succop, Bradley Pinion, Zach Triner
Jose Borregales put some pressure on Succop and drilled a 55-yarder in Week 1 of the preseason against the Miami Dolphins, but he also missed a potential 49-yard game winner that would have given him a much stronger case. The Bucs will go with the experienced Succop, whose only kick this preseason was a 52-yarder against the Titans -- which he made -- and who has been their kicker the past two seasons. Yes, cutting Succop could clear out some cap space, but a Super Bowl-caliber team can't afford to be shaky here.