Buccaneers vs. Bengals: Who's Out for Tampa Bay?

A handful of Tampa Bay Buccaneers will not play against the Cincinncati Bengals to begin the preseason.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will not release an inactive list ahead of the team's first preseason game of the 2021 season against the Cincinnati Bengals, as they are not required for preseason play. That being said, a handful of Buccaneers will not dress for game one.

Center Robert Hainsey, safety Jordan Whitehead, tight end Cameron Brate, wide receiver Cyril Grayson, safety Raven Greene, outside linebacker Cam Gill, and center Donell Stanley are not expected to play, according to Bucs team reporter Scott Smith.

Whitehead missed practice throughout the past week with an undisclosed injury that head coach Bruce Arians shared no details of, making his absence unsurprising as Tampa Bay begins its preseason. Mike Edwards and nickel cornerback Ross Cockrell are expected to take on a larger role in Whitehead's place.

Brate was recently activated from the Physically Unable to Perform list recently and just returned to practice this past week, so it isn't a surprise to see the team keep him sidelined until further notice. O.J. Howard was named a starter alongside Rob Gronkowski at tight end in Tampa Bay's base offense on the first unofficial depth chart of the year, so he could be in for a fair share of snaps, particularly after missing the majority of the 2020 season with a torn Achilles.

Hainsey, Tampa Bay's third-round pick out of Notre Dame, has missed a considerable amount of training camp with an undisclosed injury as well.

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.