Bucs To Watch In Preseason Week 3 vs. Bills: Defense

 

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The Bucs will wrap up their preseason schedule Saturday night with a home game against the Buffalo Bills at Raymond James Stadium, looking to finish a perfect 3-0 in exhibition play. Tampa Bay beat Tennessee 29-7 two weeks ago at home before a walk-off field goal at the buzzer gave the team a 17-14 win in Pittsburgh last Saturday.

Now, Todd Bowles and Co. return home to host a team they will actually see again later this year, with a Week 11 matchup in Buffalo. This, of course, will be the final game for the Bucs before their Week 1 regular season opener against the Falcons in Atlanta on Sept. 7.

Unsurprisingly, Bowles said Thursday that his starters won’t play in Saturday’s preseason finale, which makes sense given the two teams see each other in the regular season, the starters have gotten enough work in during the preseason and joint practices and the fact that the squad is dealing with a fair bit of injuries at the moment.

Nonetheless, there will be football under the lights at Ray Jay Saturday night. After taking a look at some players to watch on the Bucs offense in a separate article, we’ll run down a list of players to watch on defense here.

Bucs To Watch In Preseason Week 3: Defense

DT: Elijah Roberts – No. 95

With the starters being held out of the preseason finale, this is bound to be a great chance for rookies and players on the roster bubble to make a name for themselves with extended playing time. Elijah Roberts isn’t on the roster bubble or anything, but he’s still a rookie who will benefit a great deal from more preseason snaps. And given his start to the preseason, the former SMU standout will be looking to close out what has been a strong introduction to the NFL and the Bucs over the course of these exhibition games.

Pewter Report’s Josh Queipo wrote this week that Roberts, a college edge rusher who is converting to defensive tackle as a pro, could be a big part of the Bucs’ improved four-man pass rush this year. He is flashing signs of that being the case already, as his 32% pass rush win rate is second among qualified players (min. 25 pass rush snaps) in the NFL this preseason, according to Pro Football Focus.

The rookie is winning with his quickness off the snap, as well as his hands. He’s already giving opposing offensive linemen fits, and if he can continue to live up to that level of play when he’s given extended snaps, he may prove to be an absolute fifth-round steal for Tampa Bay. Saturday night gives him one more chance to get some game experience under his belt before things get started for real.

OLB: Markees Watts – No. 58

This is an interesting time for the pass rushers at the bottom of the Bucs’ depth chart. The top four outside linebackers are set, as Yaya Diaby, Haason Reddick, Chris Braswell and Anthony Nelson are locks. But with the season-ending injury to promising rookie David Walker, there’s bound to be one more spot up for grabs. Right now, that battle is between multi-year depth guys like Markees Watts and Jose Ramirez. But neither is doing much to inspire confidence right now.

Watts had a quarterback hurry in the preseason opener against Tennessee, but has otherwise done nothing of note in exhibition play or even in training camp. It’s been a strange development for him to seemingly ghost after a promising start to his Tampa Bay career in 2023, but it could simply be that he’s hit his peak and is more practice squad player than the next undrafted gem of a pass rusher.

With the way things are going in the battle for that final outside linebacker spot, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Bucs work the waiver wire or even sign a veteran free agent pass rusher to fill that role rather than giving it to Watts or Ramirez. General manager Jason Licht has struck gold a couple of times at the position when it comes to preseason waiver wire pickups, adding Jacquies Smith in 2014 and Carl Nassib in 2018. Watts has one more chance Saturday night to prove to Licht that he shouldn’t go looking for an outside addition in the next week and a half.

OLB: Jose Ramirez – No. 33

Jose Ramirez is in a similar spot as the one described above for Markees Watts. The 2023 sixth-round pick out of Eastern Michigan has flashed small glimpses of his pass rushing potential over the last couple of years and even in this preseason, with five pressures over two games. But whether that’s enough – and whether his ability to defend the run has improved enough to warrant a roster spot – is unclear.

If you had to give that final outside linebacker spot to Watts or Ramirez right now, Ramirez feels like the clear choice. But for a team that has Super Bowl aspirations in 2025, it makes sense to exhaust all available options to shore up the depth off the edge after the season-ending injury to David Walker, who the team had high hopes for in his rookie season. If the Bucs do check on their outside options, that could spell trouble for Ramirez in year three.

Ramirez and even Watts could still stick on Tampa Bay’s practice squad, but that’s far from where expectations were for both players at different points in the past couple of seasons. Again, the preseason finale is a chance for Ramirez to go out and earn the OLB5 spot before the team potentially has a look at bringing in someone else to take that role.

ILB: Nick Jackson – No. 53

Whereas there doesn’t seem to be enough quality outside linebackers to fill the presumed number of roster spots being set aside for the position, the inside linebacker position has gotten to a point where it somehow has the opposite problem. For much of the offseason, it felt like the Bucs hadn’t done enough to improve the linebacker room, as the only move they made outside of re-signing the legendary Lavonte David was bringing in Anthony Walker Jr. and adding a couple of undrafted free agents.

But as it turns out, those undrafted free agents have taken over throughout camp and the preseason and have played their way into the 53-man roster conversation, even with veterans like David, Walker, Deion Jones and fourth-year ‘backer SirVocea Dennis occupying the first four spots on the depth chart. Nick Jackson, an undrafted rookie out of Iowa, currently has the best case to crack the roster, as his play may force the team into keeping five inside linebackers.

There was the hot start to the preseason, which saw Jackson – initially signed after being a tryout player at the Bucs’ rookie mini-camp – come up with a sack and an interception on the same drive. Then, he added a second sack to his stat line in Pittsburgh last weekend. Jackson has drawn praise from head coach Todd Bowles, and with another good showing Saturday night, No. 53 really might lock up a 53-man roster spot heading into the regular season.

ILB: John Bullock – No. 57

The other undrafted rookie who has made his way into the conversation at inside linebacker is John Bullock, a Nebraska product like Lavonte David. While Jackson has the splash plays – one of which Bullock contributed to, tipping the ball on a blitz to set Jackson up for the pick – Bullock may have the case for being the more consistent player thus far in preseason action. He graded out with an 80.3 PFF grade in the preseason opener before earning a 68.5 last weekend. Jackson, on the other hand, posted an 80.9 and a 58.0, respectively.

Bullock did notch a sack in last week’s game, and when you consider his impressive coverage ability, he has a strong case to have a future in Tampa Bay. The Bucs could not cover the middle of the field whatsoever in 2024, and that’s something Bullock can do. He had an 88.5 coverage grade in the first week of the preseason, then followed that up with a 65.0 coverage mark last weekend. However the team looks at the numbers game it has at inside linebacker, it can only feel like a success having brought in two quality undrafted rookies this offseason.

Whether it’s Jackson or Bullock forcing their way onto the roster as LB5 could come down to Saturday night. Then again, Anthony Walker Jr.’s status remains unclear. Walker hasn’t practiced at all during camp and remains on the non-football injury list. If the team keeps him on that list, he’ll miss the first four games of the season. If that’s the route things go, perhaps both rookie inside linebackers are playing for a spot on the initial 53-man roster this Saturday.

DB: Jacob Parrish* – No. 25

This one is marked with an asterisk, as it’s unclear whether rookie cornerback Jacob Parrish will play in the preseason finale. Todd Bowles said starters won’t play in the game, and Parrish is the presumed starting nickelback. But he’s also a rookie, so there’s at least a chance the team will want him to get a couple more drives of game action under his belt in an exhibition setting, especially as he’s being cross-trained at both nickel and outside cornerback.

In fact, whether Parrish plays at all will be somewhat telling, as it’ll give a clear answer as to his status on the depth chart and where his primary position will be. It’s long been assumed that he would be the primary nickel, and especially so after the season-ending injury to J.J. Roberts. But Bowles has long maintained that they see Parrish as an outside cornerback first, and he has played 23 outside cornerback snaps to 16 in the slot this preseason, with an additional five in the box.

So, whether Parrish plays and where he plays will be something to watch Saturday evening. Not to mention, there will be the question of how long he plays if he does suit up, especially considering the injuries the team is already dealing with in the secondary. Another versatile chess piece on the back end of the defense, Christian Izien, is currently sidelined with a groin injury. Perhaps the Bucs will be careful with Parrish, but at the same time, they have to have enough guys available to field a defense, right?

CB: Bryce Hall* – No. 34

Speaking of injuries in the secondary, it would appear that veteran cornerback Bryce Hall could be in line for a return to preseason action Saturday night against Buffalo. Hall missed some practice time and last Saturday’s preseason game against the Steelers, but returned to the field for practice on Tuesday. While the team will need to be careful with him – especially considering the injury he worked his way back from leading up to camp – he could probably stand to get some reps to get in better game shape.

And when you look at the landscape of the Buccaneer secondary, is it a guarantee that Hall sticks on the initial 53-man roster? Consider what Kindle Vildor has done this preseason, both with his defensive contributions as well as the work he’s done on special teams. Might he have the edge over Hall right now? In his early 53-man roster projection two weeks ago, Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds had Tampa Bay keeping six corners: Zyon McCollum, Jamel Dean, Benjamin Morrison, Jacob Parrish, Bryce Hall and special teams ace Josh Hayes.

If Vildor has earned a roster spot – and it feels like he has – then it’s either Hall or Hayes who is the odd man out. Hall is undeniably the better cornerback, but Hayes brings a lot of special teams value, which is something expected of a bottom-of-the-roster player. It’s an interesting call to make, and Hall being available, for one, and playing well Saturday night can only help his case.

S: Shilo Sanders – No. 28

Ever since he signed with the Bucs as an undrafted free agent moments after the 2025 Draft, Shilo Sanders has been one of the most talked-about, most-often-asked-about players on the roster. Of course, that has a ton to do with his social media following, as well as the fact that he’s the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders. The buzz around him was certainly unusual for an undrafted rookie, but to Sanders’ credit, he’s done and said all the right things during his time in Tampa Bay.

But does he have a chance to make the roster? A week and a half ago, that felt like a clear no. The numbers game was simply going to go against him, which was likely to land him on the Bucs’ practice squad. But with the unfortunate season-ending injury to fellow undrafted rookie J.J. Roberts, the door might be a little more open for Sanders. At the same time, though, he has to play well enough to earn that spot. And thus far, he probably hasn’t.

It’s not that Sanders has been a liability, nor has he even been bad, He’s just been largely OK. He had a strong preseason debut against Tennessee, but he wasn’t as good against Pittsburgh. It’s unclear how the Roberts injury is going to affect the shuffling of roster spots come time for the team to make its cuts. Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds had Roberts as the team’s fifth safety in his projections two weeks ago. Perhaps the team only keeps four now and distributes that extra spot elsewhere. It’s up to Sanders to play well enough Saturday night to give the Bucs something to think about.

S: Will Brooks – No. 36

With the number of injuries the Bucs have suffered in the secondary, they had to go out and make yet another addition this week with the signing of safety Will Brooks. Brooks, an undrafted rookie out of Tennessee, was previously a tryout player with Tampa Bay and now gets a late chance to make an impression at the NFL level. The former walk-on for the Volunteers only just arrived this week, but given that it’s the preseason finale and the fact that the team is without several defensive backs, Brooks is likely to see some action against the Bills.

It’s a tough spot for the rookie to be in, as he has to get up to speed in time to make what will be his professional debut. Even if it’s in a preseason setting, he’ll be looking to do enough to impress decision-makers in Tampa or even elsewhere as he looks to keep his football career going. He had previously worked out with the Saints and even signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in May, but he was waived three days later. Other than being a tryout player with the Bucs, this is the only other shot the 6-foot-1, 206-pound safety has gotten in the pros.

Brooks was a great story at Tennessee, going from walk-on to full-time starter by 2024. Not only was he a full-time starter, but he was a productive one for a College Football Playoff team, starting 13 games and ranking second on the team with 59 tackles and nine passes defensed. He also tied for the team lead with four interceptions, one of which came in the Vols’ first-round playoff matchup against eventual national champion Ohio State. He also had a game-clinching interception against Alabama last year.