Bucs Position Groups We’re Most Excited To Watch In Training Camp

A new Pewter Report Roundtable debuts every Tuesday on PewterReport.com. Each week, the Pewter Reporters tackle another tough Bucs question. This week’s prompt: Which position group are you most excited to watch when Bucs training camp gets underway later this month?

Scott Reynolds: Training Camp Will Push Bucs OLBs To Greatness

The most dangerous word in the NFL is potential, and in my 30 years of covering this team there have been plenty of edge rushers that have had tons of potential in Tampa Bay, yet failed to live up to it. Unfortunately for the Bucs some have been first-round picks like Eric Curry (1993), Gaines Adams (2007), Adrian Clayborn (2011), and most recently Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (2021).

The Bucs have some young, untapped talent in the outside linebacker room like Yaya Diaby, who is slated to start opposite newcomer Haason Reddick, Chris Braswell, last year’s second-round pick, and David Walker, this year’s fourth-round pick, that I’m excited to see develop in training camp. Leading the way will be Larry Foote, who moves from inside linebackers coach to outside linebackers, which is a role he had from 2019-2021 when Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-Paul were making the Pro Bowl and leading the Bucs to a Super Bowl LV championship.

Foote is one of the best pass rush coaches I’ve seen in Tampa Bay over the last three decades. He’s up there with Rod Marinelli and Joe Cullen in my opinion because of his energetic, hands-on coaching style. Not only will Foote be charged with the responsibility of taking Diaby, Braswell and Walker to the next level, he’ll also see if Markees Watts or Jose Ramirez can have a breakout camp and preseason and force Tampa Bay to keep six outside linebackers.

Helping the outside linebackers will be two of the top offensive tackles in the NFL in All-Pro Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke, who is playing at a Pro Bowl level. Iron sharpens iron, and watching the likes Wirfs and Goedeke make the Bucs outside linebackers better in 1-on-1 pass rush drills and 11-on-11 scrimmaging will be the highlight of training camp for me. The Bucs also have some intriguing depth at offensive tackle with 6-foot-8 free agent addition Charlie Heck and Ben Chukwuma, a very promising, athletic undrafted free agent. Let the battles on the edge begin.

Matt Matera: WRs Will Show Why They’re An Elite Room

There are so many different storylines that shape up so well for the Bucs wide receivers, and that’s even before we add in that they have a new offensive coordinator with Josh Grizzard calling the plays. There is a ton of excitement about the group with some intriguing questions at the tail end of the depth chart. Of course at the top is whether Mike Evans can get 1,000 yards once again and create history at age 32, but it goes so much further with the rest of the group.

We’ve been questioning all offseason when Chris Godwin will return from rehabbing his dislocated ankle. It might be during training camp or it could be a couple of games into the season. But that puts even more of the onus on the future of the Bucs receiver corps, which includes 2025 first-round pick, Emeka Egbuka. It’s been said that Egbuka is a carbon copy of Godwin and we’ll find out soon enough if that’s the case, and also see why the Bucs were so infatuated with taking him with their first pick despite needing defensive help. Egbuka has a chance to be a star.

It’ll also be exciting to see how much second-year receiver Jalen McMillan has taken a step forward. He’ll be very important to the lineup too regardless of Godwin’s availbility. Will Egbuka push McMillan to new levels or capture the third receiver spot for good?

There’s also the electricity that rookie seventh-round pick Tez Johnson brings. And because the talent is so good on this team, the Bucs may have to keep six receivers on the roster. That means Johnson, Trey Palmer, Kameron Johnson, Sterling Shepard, Rakim Jarrett, Ryan Miller and others are competing for two spots. Let’s see who emerges.

Bailey Adams: Bucs Safeties Are A Sneaky Interesting Group To Watch

This is what I get for taking a nap while my fellow Pewter Reporters are calling dibs on their preferred answers to this question. The top four position groups I’m most interested in watching when training camp gets underway are covered by my colleagues, so I’ll have to pivot to the fifth group on my list. That’s the safeties. To be fair, though, I truly do believe that this is a sneaky interesting group to keep an eye on throughout camp.

Starting at the top, there’s Antoine Winfield Jr., who is only a season removed from an All-Pro selection. We all know what he’s capable of when he’s healthy, so all signs point toward him bouncing back from an injury-plagued 2024 season and getting back to being one of the top safeties in the league. His new partner in the defensive backfield will be interesting to watch, too, as Tykee Smith moves to safety after a strong rookie season in which he primarily played the nickel cornerback position. Watching these two develop chemistry on the back end of the defense will be one of the subplots of camp.

I think where things really get interesting with the safeties is behind Winfield and Smith, though. The team’s depth at the position is far from settled. Kaevon Merriweather is presumably the first guy off the bench at safety, though there’s also Christian Izien, who is a jack-of-all-trades type who can play both safety and nickel depending on where he’s needed. Beyond those two third-year players, the rest of the group is full of younger, less-proven safeties who will need to put on a show in camp if they want to latch on to the 53-man roster or, more likely, the practice squad.

That group includes second-year guys like Marcus Banks and Rashad Wisdom, who both made waves during training camp and the preseason last year. Both will benefit from familiarity with Todd Bowles’ defense, as well as a full year of being pros. And then there are the rookies. Tampa Bay didn’t draft a safety this year, but they did sign two very intriguing undrafted free agents.

The first is the bigger name, which is Shilo Sanders. The son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and current Colorado coach Deion Sanders draws a ton of attention because of his name and social media following, but he’ll need to prove on the practice fields at One Buc Place that he can play at the next level. It was hard to get much out of watching him in limited reps during OTAs and mini-camp, so training camp should give him a bigger platform to make an impression.

Then there’s J.J. Roberts, who is a higher-profile guy in terms of the guaranteed money the Bucs gave him to sign with them as an undrafted free agent. He also came in on an official 30 visit prior to the draft and had a draftable grade. So, there’s no doubt that the team is high on the former Marshall standout, and he has the makings of being a sleeper on the Buccaneers defense.

Josh Queipo: Can This Linebacker Group Be As Good As The Bucs Say It Is?

While the Bucs made significant investments in outside linebacker and cornerback, two of their three big needs this offseason, their additions at inside linebacker were very mild. Retaining practice squader Deion Jones, who was unsigned for much of last year, and signing Anthony Walker Jr. to a near vet minimum deal cannot be construed as significant investments.

But Tampa Bay’s leadership is extremely high on SirVocea Dennis, who enters his third season in Todd Bowles’ defense. He was a key component to their defense last year. When he was lost for the season in Week 4, the defense immediately trended downward. Relying on K.J. Britt, who lacked Dennis’ speed and athleticism, and a handful of young undrafted free agents did not work.

The team is banking on a much healthier season from Dennis, who had surgery to repair a lingering shoulder injury from his college days. And absent that they are confident that veterans who at least know where to be and can process information quickly can hold up and help the middle of the defense be less porous than last year.

Dennis is fascinating. He was a fantastic blitzer at Pitt. His final year in college he recorded 32 pressures, a 27% pressure rate and 11 sacks by Pro Football Focus’ measurements. In limited snaps last year, he allowed a passer rating against under 100 and a barely positive EPA/target. The tape backs up those stats. These are encouraging signs.

Walker Jr. was a net-positive for the Dolphins defense last year. They were much better defending the middle of the field when he played than when he didn’t. And if pressed into action he can be a solid fill-in. And despite not getting many chances, Jones looked good in extremely limited action late last season, including some impressive snaps near the goal line against Washington in the playoffs. I’m excited to see if this group can outperform expectations this year. I think they can.

Adam Slivon: Seeing How Bucs CB Room Performs Will Be Must-Watch

A critical area of the Bucs’ defense improving this season will be based on the play at the cornerback position. Zyon McCollum and Jamel Dean once again head the top of the depth chart, and while they were solid last season, training camp affords them a chance to show they have what it takes to make plays on the football. McCollum’s arrow continues to trend upwards, but he has something to prove after not finishing last season as hot as he started it. In a contract year, it is time to turn tools and athleticism into consistent production. In Dean’s case, he was close to being a cap casualty, and his availability has proven to be a liability at times.

Seeing how last year’s starters perform in training camp is the beginning of the excitement, but it continues when looking at rookie cornerbacks Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish. The Bucs are high on Morrison and believe they drafted a first-round talent who slipped due to a hip injury. After he participated in offseason workouts, seeing how he ramps it up and what he looks like in pads is something to monitor closely. Should Dean succumb to injuries at somepoint, he is next in line for extended playing time.

Parrish is another newcomer who might see the field early and often. Todd Bowles shared that he thinks the third-round pick can play as an outside cornerback and nickel, with his versatility being a strong attribute and could open things up schematically. Where he lines up and how often he sees the field will be the first indicator of his role this season.

Outside of just the top cornerbacks, watching the position in training camp will be a chance to see how much the floor of the room was raised over the offseason. After re-signing Bryce Hall and signing Kindle Vildor, each will look to stake their claim for a roster spot. Josh Hayes and Tyrek Funderburk disappointed last season after making the roster, but this year’s camp is a fresh start to turn it around and put last season in the rearview mirror. It will be exciting to see who emerges and makes plays. Every interception affords the chance to turn heads and seeing how they fare in coverage against an elite receiver room will be entertaining.

Get your popcorn ready.