by Carter Brantley
We didn’t get to see Mike Evans or Lavonte David, but the first units got a bit of run in the Bucs’ final preseason game of 2024, with Baker Mayfield going 3-3 for over 50 yards and Rachaad White doing his thing on the ground and scoring a TD to kick things off Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium.
Rookie wideout Jalen McMillan, vying for that third wide receiver spot, also had an impressive catch down the field on the opening drive that set up that TD from Mr. White.
Newly minted starting offensive linemen Ben Bredeson, Graham Barton, and Cody Mauch also looked impressive, creating holes for Mr. White on the opening drive and giving Baker Mayfield time to operate.
The coaching staff decided that one drive was all they needed to see from the starters, as Kyle Trask and the rest of the backups got to show off their skills for the remainder of their matchup with the Miami Dolphins, which resulted in a 24-14 win for the Bucs.
Other backup QB John Wolford was sidelined with an injury and didn’t get to make any further progress in the battle for QB2 between him and Trask, who had 141 yards passing and a couple of TDs, looking moderately impressive at points throughout the night.
Bucky Irving continued his journey to being named backup running back over Chase Edmonds, despite Edmonds remaining in that spot on the official depth chart. Irving managed to run for 26 yards on 6 carries, another very serviceable yards-per-carry rate.
Former Seahawk receiver Cody Thompson submitted a solid performance as well, leading the team in yards with 45 and catches with 7, giving the Bucs a lot to think about as they debate who to keep on their 53-man roster and who to cut or send to the practice squad.
On the defensive side, 2nd round pick Chris Braswell managed a sack of former USF Bull and current Dolphins backup Mike White in the first quarter.
Vita Vea also looked impressive, blowing up plays in the backfield at his new weight following reports of his offseason including shedding quite a few pounds.
Undrafted rookie safety Marcus Banks made a few nice plays, including laying a big hit on a Dolphins receiver in the first quarter to break up a pass (even though it didn’t ultimately matter due to a Bucs penalty) and making 5 tackles.
Another former USF Bull, linebacker Antonio Grier, Jr. made a nice pick in the waning minutes of the game to seal the ever-important preseason victory for the Bucs to hopefully compete for a possible practice squad spot for either the Bucs or another team around the league.
Rosters need to be finalized on August 27th, and there are plenty of situations to monitor for the Bucs throughout the NFL as they continue to finalize their own roster.
Do they pick up a veteran corner to round out their secondary? Could they look to outside help for any other roster uncertainties like the final wide receiver spot, a veteran edge rusher, or the backup QB position?
Regardless of what happens with the rest of the league, the Bucs are in a nice spot with their current roster and it’d be unsurprising to see them sit tight with who they have and make minor, unremarkable moves to round out the team.
Following the roster deadline, the Bucs then wait for the regular season to begin, as they kick things off at home on September 8th against the Washington Commanders.
