The Tampa Bay Buccaneers open the preseason later tonight against Joe Burrow Brandon Allen and the Cincinnati Bengals.

While many will be looking forward to simply seeing Bucs football again for the first time in the 2021 season, there are plenty of players to be on the lookout for. As a bonus, these players should be contributing in varying portions of the game, giving fans of the team something to look forward to, in all four quarters.

Here are your players to watch tonight as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers open preseason at home against the Cincinnati Bengals!

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OLB, Joe Tryon

Tampa Bay’s first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Joe Tryon has been making a lot of noise in training camp. And while it may seem weird to see the number nine rushing a quarterback off the edge at first, we believe fans will get fairly comfortable with the idea very quickly.

Playing in his first full-contact football game since December 21, 2019, there are bound to be some nerves and some rust. But the first-rounder should get plenty of opportunities to break out of that shell as he gets his first reps as an NFL linebacker.

QB, Kyle Trask

While we last saw the new Buccaneers quarterback playing live in December of 2020, it may be another two years until we see him play a snap that counts for the record.

Still, the first time on the field in an NFL game of any kind is a momentous occasion for any young player, and it’s one Kyle Trask is looking forward to for sure.

Listed as the fourth quarterback on the depth chart it’s hard to tell exactly which receivers he’ll have to throw to. Preseason games tend to get a little sloppy towards the final moments because some players start to display the reasons they are buried on NFL depth charts.

Still, no matter the quality of targets Trask is throwing to, his performance will be an important step in his career and social media fodder for pro and anti-Trask Bucs fans alike.

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WR, Jaelon Darden

Speaking of targets Kyle Trask may have on the field when he steps into his first NFL action. Jaelon Darden is another name a lot of people have been happy with coming out of training camp.

The overall thought process is he’s going to make the team on special teams first. Which makes sense given his collegiate career production as a punt and kick returner.

But he was a huge part of the North Texas offense while in school as well. After four years in college, Darden left school as his program's all-time leader in receptions (230), receiving yards (2,782), and receiving touchdowns (38).

He also holds several single-season records for the team as well.

While there’s no ‘I’ in team, make sure you keep a lookout for No. 1, whenever he’s on the field.

Other Players to Watch: RB, Giovanni Bernard; CB, Ross Cockrell; DB, Mike Edwards

Check out my full preseason game one preview of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Cincinnati Bengals with my co-host James Yarcho, on the Locked On Bucs Podcast!