SR’s Bucs Preseason Insider: All Eyes On Edge Rushers

With Tampa Bay kicking off the preseason in Cincinnati against the Bengals on Saturday night, here is some inside scoop from yours truly to get you ready for some Bucs football.

In the picture above, you’ll see outside linebackers Chris Braswell (43) and Jose Ramirez (33) along with defensive lineman Eric Banks (93). All three are expected to play a lot of snaps in Cincinnati and the rest of the preseason and all three have impressed this week in training camp. Enjoy!

All Eyes On Bucs Edge Rushers

With Yaya Diaby missing the preseason and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka missing the preason opener due to injuries, the Bucs will be getting a much-needed lengthy look at their reserve outside linebackers. Tampa Bay may or may not play veteran Anthony Nelson against the Bengals, but the three outside linebackers who figure to get the most snaps are rookie Chris Braswell, the team’s second-round pick, and a pair of second-year edge rushers in Markees Watts and Jose Ramirez.

All three had a very good week of practice with increased reps. Watts and Braswell made impressive plays in coverage, with Braswell coming up with his first pick, which came off Baker Mayfield. Watts, who has an exclusive Camp Diary on PewterReport.com, and Ramirez had multiple would-be sacks in practice, and Ramirez has made progress setting the edge and stuffing the run.

Tampa Bay is eager to see if anyone can unseat Tryon-Shoyinka for the starting spot opposite Diaby. That player could be Braswell in time. He could be a late bloomer like Diaby was last year. Remember, Diaby didn’t get his first sack until Buffalo in Week 8 and he wound up getting all 7.5 sacks in the second half of his rookie season. Braswell could be on a similar trajectory.

Bucky Irving Will Have A Heavy Workload In The Preseason

Running back Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay’s fourth-round pick, is expected to not only lead the Bucs in rushing this August, but potentially in total yardage, too. With veteran Chase Edmonds out of action since the first training camp practice on July 24, Irving has seen an increased workload in practice. He’s worked with the starters and the backups as a runner and a receiver out of the backfield.

Because the Bucs don’t do any live tackling in training camp practices – just a thud tempo – the team is curious to see how well the 5-foot-8, 192-pound back will hold up to running between the tackles in the NFL and how many carries he can handle in a quarter and in a game. Irving was the feature back at Oregon the last two years and averaged 171 carries per season. Plus, he also caught 87 passes, including 51 last year.

Irving is expected to start against the Bengals, and with Rachaad White not expected to play and Edmonds injured, that leaves Tampa Bay with just four available backs. Sean Tucker is also expected to play significant snaps in the preseason, but all eyes will be on Irving to see if he can break and shake tackles as easily as he did at Oregon.

Bucs Are Disappointed SirVocea Dennis Is Injured – Again

Tampa Bay has been thrilled with the play of second-year inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis – when he’s been on the field. But Dennis has missed the past week of practice in training camp with an undisclosed injury and won’t play in the preseason opener at Cincinnati. The Bucs are growing a bit concerned about him because the best kind of ability is availability.

Dennis played in the preseason opener last year and then missed the next two games and the start of the regular season with a hamstring injury. He got his first start on defense at Indianapolis in Week 12 during his rookie season, but then missed the chance for another start the next week by getting sick and missing the Carolina game.

The former fifth-round pick has missed a lot of valuable on-field developmental time. Dennis is not in danger of losing his roster spot this year. But his absence will create opportunities for J.J. Russell and rookie Kalen DeLoach to impress the Bucs coaches and scouts.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles has designs on using Dennis in some third down packages due to his ability to blitz and cover, but he’s got to see the second-year linebacker do it in practice and in games to fully trust him with that anticipated increase in playing time. Dennis needs to return to action sooner rather than later and take advantage of the last two preseason games to continue to develop.

Graham Barton’s Errant Snaps Are Not A Problem

Bucs rookie center Graham Barton has had a few fumbled snaps in training camp thus far, and that’s not unexpected. Tampa Bay’s first-round pick is making the transition from left tackle in college to center in the NFL. The last time he played in a game at center was his freshman year at Duke.

The team would rather have Barton fumble snaps in practice than in a game, and get them out of his system in August rather than in September. Barton has been going up against the likes of Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey in practice, so he’s getting prepared to play some of the bigger and stronger defensive tackles in the NFL, as well as some of the quicker, more athletic defensive linemen.

He certainly hasn’t won every rep, but Barton has fared well so far and is on track to beat out veteran Robert Hainsey for the starting center job. Barton will have his hands full against perhaps the best defensive tackle duo in the league in Washington’s Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen in Week 1 – not to mention rookie Johnny Newton, the Commanders’ second-round pick.

Washington head coach Dan Quinn will likely be stunting his defensive tackles and deploying some A gap blitzes with his linebackers to attack the rookie center in the season opener. Barton will need to snap cleanly in all three preseason games to show the coaches he’s ready and not allow them to consider Hainsey instead.

Veterans, Former Starters Who Could Be In Jeopardy

Some Bucs players worth keeping a close eye on in the preseason are defensive tackle Will Gholston, veteran wide receiver Sterling Shepard, who is a relative newcomer, tight end Ko Kieft and defensive back Christian Izien. Those four players are not locks to make the 2024 Buccaneers.

Gholston is 33 years old and is tied with long snapper Zach Triner for the distinction of being the second-oldest Buccaneer on the team. Linebacker Lavonte David is the oldest Buc at age 34. Tampa Bay is excited about the potential of a pair of young new defensive tackles in Eric Banks, 26, and Earnest Brown, 25. Keep an eye on No. 93 (Banks) and No. 74 (Brown) in the preseason. If they both perform well, they could unseat both Gholston and Mike Greene from the 53-man roster, as I suggested in my 53-man roster prediction in this week’s SR’s Fab 5.

Shepard has a history of injuries from his days with the New York Giants, and him missing this past week with an undisclosed injury doesn’t help his cause making the team. The Bucs have a lot of young receivers they’re excited about. Jalen McMillan and Trey Palmer are locks to make the roster, and Rakim Jarrett and undrafted free agent Kameron Johnson have been impressive in camp. At age 30, Shepard likely won’t play on special teams, which might hurt his cause. He needs to get healthy and play in the final two preseason games.

Kieft is not a receiving tight end, and Liam Coen wants his tight ends involved in the passing game. He’s also not a dominant blocker, so he will have to shine on special teams to beat out rookie Devin Culp, the team’s seventh-round pick, for the No. 3 tight end role, or make the team as TE4 if the team keeps more than three tight ends. Kieft needs a standout preseason to increase his chances.

Izien, who was the starting nickelback last year, has not had a remarkable training camp thus far. He finally picked off a pass on a deflection on Thursday, but he’s been beaten in coverage more than the team would like to see. With the addition of Tykee Smith, the team’s third-rounder, veteran free agent Tavierre Thomas and undrafted free agent Tyrek Funderburk all impressing, Izien is not a lock to make the team. All three can play nickelback, and Thomas leads the Bucs with three interceptions in camp and is starring on special teams. If Izien makes the team, it will likely be as a backup safety.

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