TAMPA, Fla. – Generally, anywhere from, let’s say, seven to ten positions are generally up for grabs in any NFL preseason and with all the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ dress rehearsals now in the books, coach Todd Bowles and his staff enter a deep evaluation period to scissor the roster from around 91 players to 53 by Tuesday afternoon.
“It’s going to be tough, and the worst thing you can do as a coach is try to ruin somebody’s dream,” said Bowles. “You know, nobody wants to be told that, but there are a lot of avenues, as I told them, to get back in this league.”
The Buccaneers topped the Miami Dolphins, 24-14, on Friday evening which started with a seven-play drive that saw running back Raachad Wright score from four yards out to give the Bucs a 7-0 lead with just 3:05 left in the first period.
Improving the running game was an integral part off the Buccaneers’ preseason plan as they averaged just 90.4 yards on the ground last season, 31st in the NFL.
“The more touches he gets, the better he gets as the game goes on,” said Bowles. “It’s good to see him get a fast start.”
White had 16 yards rushing on the first drive and he also gained 17 yards on a screen pass to the Miami 32-yard line.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield then hit rookie Jalen McMillan who went up between two Dolphin defenders and pulled down a 28-yard reception to the four.
The former Washington Husky is in a position to become the third receiver behind Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
“I talked about his body control and some of the things he does naturally that you can’t teach, and I think that was a really good example of it,” said Mayfield. “Obviously, he got his elbow down, that’s how he was in (bounds), but just the natural tendencies he has meant a lot.”
With Chase Edmonds and Rakim Jarrett potentially out with injuries for the opener against the Washington Commanders, McMillan’s ability has bourgeoned to a new level.
In beginning his second season in Tampa Bay, Mayfield likes the position of his unit even after a change in offensive coordinators.
David Canales moved to head coach of the Carolina Panthers and Liam Coen came to Tampa Bay after two stints with the Los Angeles Rams where he spent three seasons as an assistant quarterback and wide receivers coach. He then moved back to LA where he was the Rams’ offensive coordinator in 2022 and 2023.
“We’ve had a lot of reps at it at this point, and when it comes to game planning, you really are back in,” said Mayfield. “You know exactly what plays are alerted or canned with the next play. You know what you’re really looking for. It’s our job.”
Leading the Offense: Mayfield is in a much more solid position as the starting quarterback than when he came in last season. Back-up QB Kyle Trask is firmly ensconced in position as he was consistent Friday night.
Trask completed 17-of-24 passes with 141 yards and two touchdowns. He hit Ryan Miller on a 10-yard touchdown pass that gave Tampa Bay a 17-0 lead with 6:48 to play in the second quarter. He then found Tanner Knue on a two-yard pass early in the fourth quarter which allowed the Buccaneers the 24-14 win.
“He knows the coverage; he knows where the ball is supposed to go, and he just delivers it,” explained Mayfield of Trask’s two touchdown passes.
Trask now understands the differences between the college game and the NFL. He threw 40 touchdown passes against only eight interceptions in his final season at Florida.
“On the NFL field, there’s a million things more that you need to look for,” said Trask. “So kind of getting used to that and getting more and more reps under my belt, I just feel more and more confident in my ability to play in this league.”
