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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are putting the final preparations for the first preseason game of the year, and that means putting out the first depth chart of the season. The team released the first breakdown of the roster on their official website on Tuesday, and there are definitely a few surprises worth making note of.
Here are the depth charts for all three phases, along with some quick observations.
Offense
| POS | FIRST | SECOND | THIRD | OTHER |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | Vincent Jackson | Louis Murphy | Tommy Streeter | Robert Herron |
| Skye Dawson | ||||
| Solomon Patton | ||||
| LT | Anthony Collins | Kevin Pamphile | J.B. Shugarts | |
| LG | Oniel Cousins | Kadeem Edwards | Josh Allen | |
| C | Evan Dietrich-Smith | Jace Daniels | Jason Foster | Josh Allen |
| Andrew Miller | ||||
| RG | Jamon Meredith | Patrick Omameh | Andrew Miller | |
| RT | Demar Dotson | Matt Patchan | ||
| TE | Brandon Myers | Timothy Wright | Luke Stocker | Austin Seferian-Jenkins |
| Cameron Brate | ||||
| WR | Chris Owusu | Mike Evans | Eric Page | Lavelle Hawkins |
| Russell Shepard | ||||
| QB | Josh McCown | Mike Glennon | Mike Kafka | Alex Tanney |
| RB | Doug Martin | Bobby Rainey | Charles Sims | Mike James |
| Jeff Demps | ||||
| FB | Jorvorskie Lane | Lonnie Pryor | Ian Thompson |
- The obvious surprise here is the low placement of Austin Seferian-Jenkins among the tight ends. The rookie has looked pretty good as a receiver in camp, but has work to do as a blocker, and isn't getting anything handed to him on the initial depth chart.
- Bobby Rainey, not Mike James or Charles Sims, holds the second running back spot, something we've seen in camp so far. Rainey has been running with the first and second teams exclusively.
- Rookie Mike Evans buried behind Chris Owusu at the receiver position seems to be another case of "not handing the rookie anything for free." Robert Herron's position at the tail end of the depth chart is indicative of his struggles so far in camp, although he's still likely to make the team as he gets used to life in the NFL.
- The starting guard spots are given to the veterans, but these are 100% up for grabs over the course of the preseason.
The Defense
| POS | FIRST | SECOND | THIRD | OTHER |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LDE | Adrian Clayborn | William Gholston | Chaz Sutton | |
| DT | Gerald McCoy | Da'Quan Bowers | Ronald Talley | Euclid Cummings |
| DT | Clinton McDonald | Akeem Spence | Matthew Masifilo | Jibreel Black |
| RDE | Michael Johnson | Steven Means | Scott Solomon | |
| SLB | Jonathan Casillas | Ka'Lial Glaud | Nate Askew | Jeremy Grable |
| MLB | Mason Foster | Dane Fletcher | Damaso Munoz | |
| WLB | Lavonte David | Danny Lansanah | Brandon Magee | |
| CB | Alterraun Verner | Rashaan Melvin | Danny Gorrer | Kip Edwards |
| CB | Mike Jenkins | Johnthan Banks | Deveron Carr | Keith Lewis |
| Anthony Gaitor | ||||
| CB | Leonard Johnson | Quinton Pointer | ||
| SS | Mark Barron | Major Wright | Bradley McDougald | Mycal Swaim |
| FS | Dashon Goldson | Keith Tandy | Kelcie McCray | Mark Joyce |
- Adrian Clayborn gets the nod at starting defensive end, with William Gholson right behind him. Steven Means earns a deserved spot as the backup at the other end position.
- Da'Quan Bowers, on the other hand, is listed among the eight players at defensive tackle at the depth chart, but is shown as the primary backup to Gerald McCoy. Bowers has been playing inside quite a bit in camp, and Lovie Smith seems to favor him there.
- Jonathan Casillas starts at strongside linebacker, with Dane Fletcher making his appearance on the depth chart as a backup in the middle. Fletcher has mostly been seen inside during camp, so Casillas' hold on the starting job outside may be all but locked up.
- Danny Lansanah holds the backup weakside linebacker position, and for good reason. He's been great in camp.
- Mike Jenkins gets the start over Johnthan Banks at corner, but this seems to be another case of not letting a young player think he's ahead of a veteran just yet. Banks has been good in camp, playing with the first team even when Verner and Jenkins were healthy, and figures to be a key part of the Tampa Bay defense.
- The slot corner position truly is broken out from the rest of the depth chart, and Leonard Johnson seems to have a strong hold on starting at that spot.
Special Teams
| POS | FIRST | SECOND | THIRD | OTHER |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | Michael Koenen | |||
| PK | Connor Barth | Patrick Murray | ||
| KO | Connor Barth | Patrick Murray | ||
| H | Michael Koenen | |||
| LS | Jeremy Cain | Andrew DePaola | ||
| PR | Eric Page | Bobby Rainey | Robert Herron | Skye Dawson |
| KR | Eric Page | Jeff Demps | Mike James |
- Michael Koenen has no backup at punter, but has been removed from the kickoff depth chart. This isn't promising for the future of the Bucs' talented kickoff specialist who hasn't been very good as a punter.
- Eric Page leads both return categories, with Bobby Rainey making an appearance on the punt return depth chart. Rainey seems like a lock to make the team, and if he's able to return kicks and punts, he may push Page off the roster, even though the two play different positions.
- Jeff Demps has been fielding punts in practice, but is only listed as a kicker returner on the depth chart. That may impact his value if he's unable to factor into the punt returning discussion.