TAMPA BAY, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers open the 2023 NFL regular season at the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 10 at U.S. Bank Stadium. It'll be their first season in three years without seven-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Tom Brady.
Coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht have insisted that this isn't a "rebuilding" year but a "reloading" one. And while many of the core pieces are still there, like wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and linebacker Lavonte David, this is a vastly different roster, with the potential for nine new starters from one year ago -- 10 if you count Tristan Wirfs moving to left tackle.
Here's the lineup projection:
QUARTERBACK (3): Baker Mayfield, Kyle Trask, John Wolford
Mayfield wins the quarterback competition over Trask, who will assume the backup role with Wolford in at third string. This comes with the assumption that the Bucs carry a third quarterback like they've done the last several years.
RUNNING BACK (4): Rachaad White, Ke'Shawn Vaughn, Chase Edmonds, Sean Tucker
White takes over the starting role in his second year in the league, and Vaughn grabs the backup running back job with Edmonds snagging the third-down back slot. Tucker, who was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Syracuse but missed the whole offseason because of a congenital heart defect discovered before the draft, grabs the fourth spot. Assuming he gets clearance for training camp, the Bucs believe he has a ton of potential.
WIDE RECEIVER (6): Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Russell Gage, Trey Palmer, Deven Thompkins, Kaylon Geiger
Palmer and Thompkins can both handle kickoff and punt return duties. Kade Warner, an undrafted free agent out of Kansas State and the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, misses the cut but lands on the practice squad. Undrafted free agent Rakim Jarrett, who got a $25,000 signing bonus and $225,000 in guaranteed money, is another name to watch here.
TIGHT END (4): Cade Otton, Ko Kieft, Payne Durham, Tanner Taula
With Cameron Brate and Kyle Rudolph gone, this decision was pretty cut and dry -- with the exception of the fourth spot. Durham's presence should allow the Bucs to run a lot more two tight end sets (Kieft is more of a pure in-line blocker) like new offensive coordinator Dave Canales did when he was with the Seattle Seahawks. Taula, an undrafted free agent out of Illinois State who turned some heads in minicamp, beats out David Wells and Dominique Dafney for the fourth spot.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Tristan Wirfs, Matt Feiler, Ryan Jensen, Cody Mauch, Luke Goedeke, Robert Hainsey, Nick Leverett, Brandon Walton, Justin Skule
Wirfs spent all offseason at the starting left tackle position with Goedeke, who struggled as their starting left guard last year, moving to his natural right tackle position from college. The rookie Mauch wins the starting right guard spot and Feiler the left. Hainsey, last year's starting center, can back up Jensen (assuming he's fully healthy) and both guard positions. Skule edges out Silas Dzansi, another undrafted free agent who got quite a bit of money, for the swing tackle role, sending Dzansi to the practice squad if he can clear waivers.
DEFENSIVE LINE (6): Vita Vea, Calijah Kancey, Greg Gaines, Logan Hall, Pat O'Connor, DeAdrin Senat
Originally drafted to replace Ndamukong Suh at the 3-technique spot, Hall steps into Will Gholston's old 4-technique role while Gaines can line up as both a 3-technique and a nose tackle with all the shuffling around coach Todd Bowles likes to do. This allows Bowles to take Kancey out of situations like goal line, where his smaller stature may not be most effective.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER (5): Shaquil Barrett, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Anthony Nelson, YaYa Diaby, Jose Ramirez
With Barrett recovering from a torn Achilles, and still some question marks with Tryon-Shoyinka's ability to close, this is a spot where it made sense to go heavier than last year's four. The Bucs should give rookies Diaby and Ramirez time to develop, and If Ramirez shows enough on special teams, he can unseat Cam Gill.
INSIDE LINEBACKER (4): Lavonte David, Devin White, SirVocea Dennis, K.J. Britt
Dennis, who was a playmaking machine during rookie and mandatory minicamps and had 7.0 sacks last season at Pitt, beats out Britt for the third inside linebacker spot, but Britt makes the 53-man roster because of his work on special teams.
CORNERBACK (5): Carlton Davis III, Jamel Dean, Dee Delaney, Zyon McCollum, Josh Hayes
Delaney wins the starting nickelback job while Hayes, the Bucs' sixth-round draft pick out of Kansas State, can back up outside, nickelback and safety -- Hayes has spent most of his time this summer outside though.
SAFETY (4): Antoine Winfield Jr., Ryan Neal, Kaevon Merriweather, Christian Izien
Winfield, Jr. moves from nickelback to his old free safety spot, with Neal, eager to prove last season's success was no fluke, clinching the other starting spot. Izien, whom safeties coach Nick Rapone said "plays with his hair on fire" beats out Nolan Turner for the fourth safety spot, with a bonus being that he can play nickelback as well. Merriweather can play both safety spots.
SPECIALISTS (3): Zach Triner, Chase McLaughlin, Jake Camarda
It was a toss-up at kicker, and given they haven't played any preseason games, past performances played a key role here. On paper, Rodrigo Blankenship's 83.9% field goal mark is better than McLaughlin's 78.8%, but McLaughlin's 81% mark at kicks 50 yards or more (20 attempts) is the area the Bucs really need help at.