Bucs Football is finally back! The defending Super Bowl champions host the Cincinnati Bengals in the team’s first preseason matchup of the year.

When is the game, where to watch and how to listen:

Watch on TV:

Saturday, August 14, 2021

• Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Location: Raymond James Stadium
• Television Network: WFLA – Tampa Channel 8
• Broadcast Crew: Chris Myers (play by play), Rondé Barber (color), Dan Lucas (reporter)

Listen Live:

WXTB 97.9 FM – Bucs Flagship Station

Broadcast Crew: Gene Deckerhoff (play by play), Dave Moore (color), T.J. Rives (sideline)

Mobile:

Bucs Official App

Buccaneers.com

Who to watch:

SR recently gave us ten players to watch on offense and defense we’ll add a few more here to keep an eye on.

Offense

WR Jaelon Darden – All eyes will be on the rookie wideout when he’s out on the field. Darden has been nothing short of impressive at the wide receiver position in camp, often running with the ones. How many he reps he gets with the first team is something to keep an eye on, as is his impact in the return game.

RB Giovani Bernard – Going up against your former team usually gives players an extra boost of motivation, even in the preseason. Bernard has been stellar so far in camp. His receiving ability and pass protection is exactly what this offense needs, but Bernard has been equally effective as a runner. Seeing how he melds into the offense on game day should be fun to watch.

WR Tyler Johnson – Johnson has been quite impressive in camp, catching a lot of balls and consistently making plays. After being called out by Arians for coming into camp “heavy”, Johnson will look to prove he’s capable of handling plenty of reps in preseason action.

IOL John Molchon – With Robert Hainsey and Donell Stanley out for the tilt against the Bengals, it elevates Molchon to the team’s number two center on the roster. Molchon will see plenty of reps and needs to take advantage of this opportunity. He’s behind at least Nick Leverett in the battle for the ninth offensive line spot, but a solid showing will certainly help his case.

Defense

DT Jeremiah Ledbetter – Ledbetter has impressed during camp changing his body and regularly applying pressure on the quarterback. In a battle with second-year pro Khalil Davis, Ledbetter needs to translate what he’s done in practice to the field and turn some heads to take control of the final DT spot.

LB Joe Jones – Brought in to be a core special teamer after excelling in that role with the Broncos, things haven’t gone Jones’ way so far in camp. He has struggled in coverage and play recognition putting the veteran linebacker behind rookie K.J. Britt on the team’s first depth chart. Jones will need to continue to show special teams prowess and improvement as a linebacker to beat out the rookie for a roster spot.

CB Antonio Hamilton – Holding the inside track on the fifth cornerback spot, Hamilton has had an up-and-down camp. Hamilton will look to show the Bucs that he can be more than just a special teams ace. His ability to play the slot in practice has been a welcome sight, but the games will present a different challenge.

S Javon Hagan – Jordan Whitehead’s injury means the Bucs will push everyone up a spot in the safety rotation. This bodes well for second-year safety Hagan. Already holding the edge for the fourth safety spot, a solid showing in the secondary and on special teams can go a long way in his quest to make the team.

Specialist:

Kickers Jose Borregales/ Ryan Succop – Succop got off to a shaky start to begin camp, but has since righted the ship. Meanwhile, Borregales has had a great rookie camp, recently nailing 50 and 60 yarders in Thursday’s practice. Now this isn’t a kicking competition, as Succop is owed $5 million guaranteed this season. But Borregales is worth watching, as the Bucs are likely to keep a kicker on the practice squad.

What to watch for

Core Special Teams Units – We’ve heard it time and time again from Bucs Head Coach Bruce Arians: if you’re a bottom of the roster guy, you’re going to need to show you can be a factor on special teams. That’s exactly what we’ll be watching here at Pewter Report.com. I know field goals, punts and kickoffs are beer and bathroom breaks, but who plays on the core units will go a long way toward determining who will make this roster out of camp.

Battles in the Trenches – As mentioned above, the battle for backup spots along the lines are far from resolved. Davis vs Ledbetter. Leverett vs Brad Seaton. Molchon vs Sadarius Hutcherson. The offensive and defensive lines aren’t sexy, but there is a lot of competition happening there.

Kick and Punt Return – Jaydon Mickens or Jaelon Darden? Which player gets the first crack at returning kicks? Can Darden show enough to win the job? The latter question probably won’t be answered in one preseason game, but we’ll definitely be monitoring the battle as the two returners see their first live reps.

The Rookies –  Joe Tryon and Kyle Trask. The Bucs first and second round picks will have the fans excited to see what the future looks like at their respective positions. So far in camp Tryon has been more than impressive. While Trask has had an inconsistent camp, the rookie QB has plenty of time to develop, so there’s little need for concern right now.

Tune into PewterReportTV on YouTube after the game for our post game podcast, follow our Twitter for updates throughout the game and stay right here on PewterReport.com for all your updates, recap and post-game analysis.