16 Buccaneers Players to Watch vs. Titans

There will be a more than a handful of Tampa Bay Buccaneers worth watching against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday.

Testing out the new preseason schedule, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers plan to rest most, if not all, of their starters in week two against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday.

Tennessee head coach Mike Vrabel said on Thursday that he is unsure the Titans will do the same, but for the Bucs, this will be a game to test their depth and make critical decisions regarding the 53-man roster.

Below, you can find the 16 players AllBucs will have its eyes on when the Buccaneers face the Titans, based on who is expected to earn a decent number of snaps. Some of these players are locked into roster spots but will continue building upon their role, while others are on the bubble as the preseason comes to a close.

CBs Dee Delaney, Herb Miller and Chris Wilcox

The outside cornerback position battle is down to Dee Delaney, who signed with Tampa Bay at over the summer, Herb Miller, a former undrafted free agent who appeared in four games for the Bucs last year, and Chris Wilcox, the team's seventh-round pick in May. 

Each of these players saw at least 15 snaps at outside cornerback against Cincinnati, while Nate Brooks and Antonio Hamilton primarily lined up nickel corner.

Delaney has been a pleasant surprise since his signing, earning praise from head coach Bruce Arians for his efforts in coverage and on special teams during joint practices with Tennessee. Delaney intercepted a pass against the Bengals last week that was waved off by a very questionable pass interference call.

Miller recorded two tackles last week, both deemed "stops" by Pro Football Focus - meaning the tackle constituted a failed play for the Bengals. Miller made a name for himself with four tackles, an interception and a defended pass against the Detroit Lions in Week 15 of the 2020 season.

Wilcox posted two tackles against Cincinnati and was not targeted in coverage across his team-leading 33 snaps at outside cornerback.

Special teams contributions will be a major factor in deciding who earns the backup role at outside cornerback, something Delaney has proven capable of providing. 

The Bucs held onto five cornerbacks for most of the 2020 season and Carlton Davis III, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Jamel Dean and Ross Cockrell are locked into the top four. Saturday night's game could go a long way in determining who earns the fifth spot, assuming the Bucs limit the count to five.

RBs Giovani Bernard and Ke'Shawn Vaughn

Giovani Bernard was the most productive of Tampa Bay's three key running backs against Cincinnati, catching two passes for 16 yards in early action. Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones II, Tampa Bay's early-down backs, earned all of one yard on a combined three carries.

As the established split-starters, though, Jones and Fournette aren't likely to play vs. Tennessee. Bernard will, though, and Arians is looking forward to watching his role in the offense expand.

"[Bernard is] the ultimate pro. He's super-prepared," Arians said on Thursday. "He came every day in OTAs when he didn't have to. He wanted to be a major part of the offense and he is already. He'll play a little bit Saturday night just to continue to grow in this offense, but not much."

As for Vaughn, the second-year Vanderbilt product was Tampa Bay's leading rusher a week ago, tallying 27 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries and catching two passes for ten yards. He seems to have the No. 4 running back role locked down, however, the Bucs are sure to want to see Vaughn string together consistent performances before the preseason is over.

OL Brad Seaton and Nick Leverett

Tampa Bay's second-team starting offensive line has been in a state of flux due to injuries throughout training camp, but has some players seemingly safe within their roles in tackle Josh Wells, guard Aaron Stinnie and rookie center Robert Hainsey.

Earl Watford might find a way to stick around as well, given his previous experience with the team and ability to quickly step into the lineup for 23 snaps after being signed last week. It would seem as though tackle Brad Seaton and interior lineman Nick Leverett have the final two preseason games to gain job stability.

Seaton is an intriguing tackle with size at 6-foot-8, 325 pounds, but he opted out of the 2020 season and has had to get his game back to playable form this summer.

"Steady growth. It was really a struggle coming back," Arians said about Seaton on Thursday. "He obviously missed a year and the physicality of it and everything, he's picking it back up. This is a big game for him."

As for Leverett, the second-year lineman is expected to start this week to fill in for starting center Ryan Jensen and Hainsey, who has only recently returned to practice from an injury. Leverett has earned praise from Arians this preseason for his positional flexibility and competitiveness, being compared to Watford by the head coach.

LBs K.J. Britt and Joseph Jones

Fifth-round pick K.J. Britt quickly rose to the second-team on the Buccaneers depth chart this preseason and appeared comfortable at inside linebacker last week, posting three tackles and recovering a fumble. A third-teamer, Joseph Jones made a big impact with an interception returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Given his familiarity with the defense, Kevin Minter has been expected to man one of the two backup roles at inside linebacker next to a rookie, either Britt or seventh-round pick Grant Stuard. Britt is seemingly a step ahead of Stuard for a spot on the roster, and another strong preseason performance could bump Jones over Minter on the depth chart moving forward. 

Although he signed with Tampa this offseason Jones, he has four previous years of experience with the Denver Broncos.

QBs Ryan Griffin and Kyle Trask

We've said it before and we'll say it again: Despite being the fourth quarterback on the depth chart, second-round pick Kyle Trask will be on the Buccaneers' roster this year. Following his debut a week ago, he could be in line for more reps as Tom Brady will not play on Saturday.

Trask's 4-of-15 passing stat-line was underwhelming a week ago, but the team liked what it saw as Trask appeared poised in the face of pressure and took some deep shots.

Ryan Griffin, meanwhile, is fighting to stick around as Blaine Gabbert is ahead of him for the role to back up Brady, ahead of Trask in the upcoming season. Griffin took unnecessary chances against Cincinnati which led to two interceptions thrown to the middle of the field. Griffin will need to bounce back strongly against Tennessee if there is any shot for him to unseat Gabbert.

DL Jeremiah Ledbetter, Khalil Davis, Pat O'Connor, Benning Potoa'e and Kobe Smith

The Buccaneers have plenty of bodies along the defensive line but, like every other position, not enough active spots on the roster to carry everyone into the season.

That leaves Jeremiah Ledbetter, Khalil Davis, Pat O'Connor, Benning Potoa'e and Kobe Smith fighting for a depth and special teams role over the next two weeks. Each of these players took the field for 20 or more snaps along the defensive line a week ago.

None of these players have found the headlines throughout training camp and the preseason other than Davis, Tampa Bay's sixth-round pick in 2020. He recently increased his role on special teams and stood out to Arians for his performance with the unit on Thursday.

Special teams prowess is important here, too, particularly on punt and kick block. Tampa Bay's starting defensive line and key depth pieces are rock solid, making special teams a crucial part of the defensive lien evaluation over the next two games.

Stay tuned to AllBucs for further coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' preseason updates, and other news and analysis. Follow along on social media at @SIBuccaneers on Twitter and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.