The Bucs’ three-game preseason slate is officially in the rearview mirror, which means the team’s decision-makers, including head coach Todd Bowles, will now get to work on whittling the roster down from 90 players to 53 ahead of the regular season.
And given how few spots were up for grabs coming into training camp and the preseason versus the number of standouts Tampa Bay had over the last few weeks, the next couple of days could be agonizing for Bowles and Co. as some tough decisions will have to be made.
“When you become a good team, the cuts get harder,” Bowles said after Saturday night’s preseason finale against the Bills. “When you don’t have anything, you can keep everybody. But the cuts become harder. It’s always difficult because you don’t want to a guy to tell you that ‘you can’t play pro ball anymore.’ It doesn’t mean it’s the end of the road, it just means it’s the end of the road here.
“That’s always tough when you have to tell someone that, and I think any coach will tell you that same thing. So, it’s always going to be difficult decisions, but we understand that going in from a coaches and players standpoint. And we make decisions we think will make us better and you kind of move on from there.”
Bucs GM Jason Licht and HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
Bowles brings up an interesting point, as the Bucs have been to the playoffs five years in a row and have won the NFC South in each of the last four seasons. That’s the result of good roster building and drafting by general manager Jason Licht and his staff. But it also means there are fewer holes to fill throughout camp and the preseason, right?
So, as much as some undrafted gems or outside acquisitions shine and make strong impressions between May and mid-August, the harsh reality still looms that their football futures – or their futures in general – lie somewhere else other than Tampa Bay. For dozens of players who have spent the last few months in the Bucs’ building, they’ll face that harsh reality in the coming days.
Todd Bowles Discusses The Timeline For Bucs’ Roster Cuts
The deadline for all 32 NFL teams to cut their rosters down to 53 players is 4:00 p.m. this Tuesday, Aug. 26. So, Todd Bowles and the Bucs have roughly three days to make their cutdown decisions. The fourth-year head coach, who signed a contract extension with the team this offseason after leading the way to three straight division titles, gave a small glimpse into the timeline for those decisions following Saturday night’s preseason finale at Raymond James Stadium.
“We’ll get going [Sunday],” Bowles said. “We’ll see some easy ones, some will go into Monday. But we’ll look at everything [Sunday] and start it some time late morning, early afternoon and we’ll get going from there and see what we’ve got.”
Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: USA Today
While Bowles discussed the process beginning Sunday and carrying into Monday, might there be some discussions that go all the way into Tuesday and perhaps up to that 4:00 p.m. deadline? The Bucs have a practice scheduled for 10:45 a.m. Tuesday, so would the team like to have the 53-man roster set ahead of practice that day? Bowles was asked as much in his postgame press conference Saturday night.
“It’s still hard to tell,” he said. “You’ve still got the waiver wire you’ve got to look at and weigh the pluses against the minuses about keeping your own guys and what we need and who we like. So, that’ll be a tough decision right there to say we will or we won’t.”
Much of the Bucs offense appears set, save for some depth spots on the offensive line, a decision or two at wide receiver and the question of whether to keep Josh Williams on as a fourth running back/kick return man. Defensively, Tampa Bay has to decide on some depth spots at every level, from defensive tackle and outside linebacker to cornerback and safety.
And, as Bowles said, there’s the waiver wire to consider. With every other team facing their own decisions, hundreds of players will suddenly be available, which will lead Bucs decision-makers to evaluate their options.
There’s no doubt that it’ll be a busy few days at One Buc Place, but once the roster is cut down to 53 players, it’ll be full speed ahead to the 2025 regular season opener against the Falcons on Sept. 7.