Buccaneers and Washington hold out starters, but not Alterraun Verner

Both Washington and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are holding out almost all of their starters tonight. For the Bucs, that includes rookie cornerback Vernon Hargreaves, who’s now definitively beaten out Alterraun Verner. The only non-starters who are being held out with injury are running back Mike James, who’s expected to make the roster, and Devante Bond, the team’s fifth-round pick who may not have sealed the deal quite yet.

Washington is holding out a whopping 26 players tonight, who did not travel to Tampa to come play in the rain. That includes quarterback Kirk Cousins and former Bucs Mason Foster. Basically, if you know a Washington player’s name, he’s probably not lining up today.

The Bucs are giving a few prominent players some playing time tonight, though, per Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com. That includes kicker Roberto Aguayo and punter Bryan Anger, who have won their position battles and will get to practice in the rain today. It also includes cornerback Alterraun Verner, who’s now the team’s third cornerback and might be in danger of losing his job entirely, given that the Bucs can save over $4 million by releasing him.

There’s also Austin Seferian-Jenkins, whose status as a starter remains elusive, and Mike Glennon, who is almost certainly not getting traded. Seferian-Jenkins could have a field day against all these backups, but then the weather isn’t exactly great. Jacquies Smith and Noah Spence, the team’s two pass-rush specialists, will also be playing, as will cornerbacks Johnthan Banks and Josh Robinson, who are competing for a final roster spot.

The game starts at 8:00 p.m. ET in the rain, but hopefully not in the middle of actual tropical storm weather. Enjoy!