Buccaneers Have More Questions Than Answers After 53-Man Roster Revealed

While there were some places around the NFL where the release of 53-man rosters brought clarity to how the rest of the season might play out after the league’s cutdown deadline on August 26, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cannot count themselves among those safe places.

The release of the Buccaneers’ 53-man roster simply brings more questions than answers — and mostly at the most important position groups on the field.

The big news for the Buccaneers in terms of roster cuts ended up being the release of quarterback and former second round pick Kyle Trask in favor of veteran journeyman Teddy Bridgewater as QB2, but that’s done little to inspire faith in who would replace 2-time Pro Bowl quarterback Baker Mayfield if he goes down.

If we’re being logical, it would be safe to say the Buccaneers are going to bring in another quarterback sooner than later. It’s also a disappointing end to Trask’s time in Tampa Bay, where he spent 4 seasons as the backup to Tom Brady and Mayfield and signed a 1-year, $2.78 million contract on March 11.

The Buccaneers open the regular season on Sunday, September 7, with a road game against the Atlanta Falcons.

Two Roster Spots On Offense Go To Injured Stars

Also on offense, 2 roster spots for the Buccaneers went to players who may not see the field for the first month of the year; injured NFL All-Pro left offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs (knee) and injured NFL All-Pro wide receiver Chris Godwin (ankle).

While it’s hard to think Wirfs won’t just come back as anything but the dominant player he’s been his entire career, it’s not clear what kind of player the Buccaneers are getting back in Godwin, who signed a 3-year, $66 million free agent contract on March 10.

Godwin was among the NFL’s receiving leaders when he suffered a gruesome dislocated left ankle in Week 7 of the 2024 NFL regular season — an injury that ended up requiring multiple surgeries.

Godwin being out isn’t necessarily the end of the world — the Buccaneers expect a lot out of wide receiver and 2025 first round pick Emeka Egbuka and future Hall of Famer Mike Evans is trying to set an NFL record with his 12th consecutive season with 1,000 receiving yards.

Defense Does Little To Inspire Faith

The Buccaneers had one of the NFL’s worst defenses for a large part of the 2024 season before a late season surge saved their season and lifted them into the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.

Now, Tampa Bay has a revamped defensive unit that brings back many of the same faces from last year with a few key additions.

Most notably, that’s edge rusher Haason Reddick, who signed a 1-year, $14 million free agent contract, but one look at the rest of the edge rushers for Tampa Bay does little to make anyone think the group will be discernibly improved from last season.

“I expect the Bucs to take a look at (edge rushers) on the waiver wire after cut-downs and perhaps the free agent market,” Sports Illustrated’s C.J. Allen wrote on August 26. “It doesn’t appear likely that (Jose) Ramirez or (Warren) Peeples will be back on the practice squad, so if an addition isn’t made to the roster, it will likely come there.”

The 2 most notable additions on the defensive side of the ball outside of Reddick came through the NFL draft. That was where Tampa Bay added a pair of cornerbacks who made the final 53-man roster in second round pick Benjamin Morrison (No. 53 overall) and third round pick (No. 84 overall) Jacob Parrish, with Parrish already slated to start at nickelback.