5 Instant Takeaways From the Buccaneers' Preseason Loss to Jaguars

Here's what we saw immediately from the action in Jacksonville:

Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Tevaughn Campbell (29) breaks up a fourth quarter pass to Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Cody Thompson (83). The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at EverBank Stadium for the Jaguars second preseason game of the season Saturday, August 17, 2024. The Jaguars came away with a 20 to 7 victory over the Buccaneers. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union] / Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers dropped their second preseason game of the year to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday, going to 1-1 on the year. It was a rough 20-7 defeat that saw not much offense or defense from Tampa Bay, and there's a lot to improve on going forward into next week against the Dolphins.

Here are five of our instant takeaways after the action in Duval County:

Offensive line depth is worrying

The full offensive line hasn't played yet this preseason, and with how the depth looks behind them, it's probably for the best so they don't get injured. Linemen like Brandon Walton and Lorenz Metz were torched almost constantly on the day, and it even resulted in QB John Wolford taking a very rough shot to the ribs. This is certainly an area Tampa Bay should want to pump more draft capital into.

3rd downs were a plague on both sides

The defense gave up an almost comical amount of third downs — 53% of them, one of which resulted in a touchdown on 3rd and 17 — and the offense was anemic, faced with 11 third downs and converting just two of them. That's a recipe for a very bad football team, and since it's preseason, there's both time to correct and also a likelihood the starters don't look like this. Even so, the team's third preseason showing should hopefully go a lot better.

OLB Jose Ramirez needs to play more

Jose Ramirez spent time on the practice squad last year, but now, it looks like he's ready to play some football. The outside linebacker had three sacks on the day and a handful of pressures, and he proved that should see the field more often — especially since it's looking like Randy Gregory is set to be released. Assistant GM John Spytek said during training camp that Ramirez was an instrumental part of Luke Goedeke's development as a right tackle, and I think it's time Ramirez got the opportunity to go against other teams.

READ MORE: 3 Up, 3 Down From Buccaneers' Preseason Loss To The Jaguars

The rushing game still looks strong

The Bucs averaged 4.8 yards per carry on the ground and looked particularly nice with the run when the second-team players were in, with RB Bucky Irving averaging 4.3 yards on six carries and Sean Tucker averaging eight yards on four carries. If the starting line can get some more reps and Rachaad White can step in as a lead back, this run game could in fact be a lot better come Week 1.

K Chase McLaughlin needs to straighten out (literally)

The Buccaneers paid K Chase McLaughlin a hefty sum of $12,300,000 over three years this offseason, but he hasn't looked like he's been earning it. He missed a kick against the Bengals and a kick against the Jaguars on Saturday, and it's natural to suddenly get weary. It's okay to miss those kicks when the game doesn't count, but the games will count pretty soon — and he needs to have a better game before then to ensure that he'll be dead on in 2024.

READ MORE: Promising Bucs Defensive Back Suffers Knee Injury Against Jaguars

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