A new Pewter Report Roundtable debuts every Tuesday on PewterReport.com. Each week, the Pewter Reporters tackle another tough question. This week’s prompt: Which Bucs bubble player will you stand on the table for?

Scott Reynolds: Markees Watts’ Development Is Worth Investing In

Bucs OLB Markees Watts – Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R

I’ve gotten to know second-year outside linebacker Markees Watts pretty well this year. After having Watts on the Pewter Report Podcast before training camp, the pass rusher who is Charlotte’s all-time leading sacker, has been the subject of the Camp Diary series on PewterReport.com. There’s no question that Jose Ramirez has come on strong during training camp. His three-sack performance in the 20-7 loss at Jacksonville comes on the heels of drawing two holding penalties at Cincinnati the week prior. Ramirez likely leads Watts in the race for OLB5 on the depth chart behind Yaya Diaby, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Anthony Nelson and rookie Chris Braswell, the team’s second-round pick.

But Watts is a developmental player who is worth hanging on to. Teams cannot have enough good pass rushers, and Watts showed what he could do last year, leading all edge rushers with a 23% pass rush win rate. This year, the 6-foot-1 outside linebacker has added 10 pounds of size and is up to 250 pounds. His upper body is more powerful now, and he showed that against the Jaguars, knocking down 6-foot-4, 313-pound left tackle Javon Foster on a bull rush en route to a sack on Saturday night. Watts also was a half step away from getting another sack in the second half but Ramirez beat him to it for his third of the game against Jacksonville.

With Watts playing on several special teams units, he brings value as a reserve pass rusher and someone who can cover kicks and punts. With the new kickoff rules requiring bigger defenders with speed, the team should be justified in keeping six outside linebackers this year. Plus, Tryon-Shoyinka and Nelson are in contract years and could be gone in free agency in 2025.

Watts is poised to make a bigger jump as a pass rusher this year with added size. He’s already shown he’s better at setting the edge and defending the run at 250 pounds than he was a year ago. I’m interested to see how he fares in 2024 in his second season with the Bucs, and perhaps more importantly, how he can further improve in 2025 with another offseason in the weight room. The Bucs should do the right thing and keep Watts and Ramirez on the 53-man roster this year. Both deserve it.

Matt Matera: Consistent Cody Thompson Has Earned A Spot

Bucs WR Cody Thompson – Photo by: USA Today

A bright spot of a surprise in this year’s training camp for the Bucs has been wide receiver Cody Thompson. I’m calling him “Consistent Cody” because all he’s done this preseason is continue to deliver on a daily basis. Outside of the stars of this team in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, no Bucs receiver has consistently produced like Thompson. Others like Jalen McMillan and Trey Palmer have had bigger splashes, but they’ve also had some drops at times. Thompson is steady as he goes.

Take Saturday’s preseason game against the Jaguars for example. In an evening where the Bucs couldn’t do much on offense, it was Thompson who led Tampa Bay with five catches for 66 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 12 yards on an end around and was able to draw a pass interference penalty. Thompson has built good chemistry with Kyle Trask and John Wolford, as they’ve looked for him during red zone dills at practice. Also, he plays on special teams, making him much more valuable.

In all likelihood the Bucs are holding onto five or six receivers going into the season. Considering Evans, Godwin, McMillan and Palmer are making the team, why wouldn’t Thompson be one to secure of of the last two spots? Let’s take a look at the other receivers, shall we? Thompson has outperformed Raleigh Webb, Cephus Johnson III, Tanner Knue, Ryan Miller and Laetreal Jones, so they can be crossed off the list.

Veteran newcomer Sterling Shepard, who is 30, has been injured for over two weeks, while Rakim Jarrett has missed over a week in practice and has been inconsistent. Although Kameron Johnson has been electric in practice when available, he’s yet to play in a preseason game. It makes all the sense between what he’s done as a receiver and his special teams capabilities that Thompson should be on the 53-man roster.

Bailey Adams: There’s Plenty To Like With Devin Culp’s Potential

Bucs TE Devin Culp – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

One of the more intriguing decisions the Bucs will face when they cut the roster down to 53 players is how many tight ends to keep. Finalizing the roster is a lot about the numbers game and deciding how many players to hold onto at each position. Whether they go with four tight ends or only keep three, 2024 seventh-round pick Devin Culp should stick around. As far as bubble players go, I’d stand on the table for the speedy rookie.

Culp hasn’t been dominant in camp or the preseason by any means, but he has flashed enough potential as a pass-catcher and done enough in the blocking game to give me the impression that he has a much higher ceiling than third-year tight end Ko Kieft. The only difference is that Kieft has been a core special teams player, and Culp will have to contribute in that aspect of the game if the Bucs are going to stick with three tight ends and keep Culp over Kieft. Or if it comes to keeping four, then so be it. But the former Washington Husky should stick around.

Culp brings something different to the Tampa Bay tight end room that none of the other players in the group can replicate, and that’s his speed. As he continues to develop more, he could carve out a nice role for himself in the offense by allowing the Bucs to take advantage of any mismatches his speed may cause. He’s been praised for being a “feisty” blocker, too, and the weight he has put on since being drafted seems to have helped.

It was worrisome to see Culp sidelined for Monday’s practice, but given Todd Bowles’ declaration that the Bucs are pretty healthy overall, it wouldn’t appear that there’s anything too serious going on there. Of course, his status the rest of this week and for Friday’s preseason finale is worth monitoring. But if healthy, No. 82 deserves a spot on the final 53.

Josh Queipo: Keenan Isaac May Provide More Depth Than The Bucs Expected At Corner

Bucs CB Keenan Isaac – Photo by: USA Today

One of the bigger question marks on this Bucs roster is at the outside cornerback position. Jamel Dean has proven he is a good-to-great player at an admittedly fickle position. But beyond him there is a considerable amount of projection being used to piece together the position. Zyon McCollum had some bright moments in 2023, but can the former fifth rounder take another step in his third year?

Bryce Hall played well over his first two years in the league but has less than 200 snaps in the last two years. Will he be able to regain his 2021 form? It’s a fair question to ask.

I’ve never been a big fan of Josh Hayes’ game, dating back to when the Bucs selected him in the 2023 NFL Draft when he was likely to be available as an undrafted free agent. Tyrek Funderburk has looked good in training camp and had a solid showing against the Bengals in the Bucs first preseason game, but he is now sidelined with a foot injury.

That’s why I feel so passionately about Keenan Isaac being included on the final roster. I made the case for the 6-foot-3 Isaac in a recent article, but I’ll reiterate my position here. He has great length where his height is in the 89th percentile and his arm length is in the 85th percentile. Isaac understands how to use that length to help make up for below average speed.

But his overall athleticism is sneaky good. His start/stop skills and change of direction has proven to be able to keep up with every player he’s been matched up against thus far this preseason. He has allowed just 0.03 yards per coverage rep on a 50% completion rate allowed. Plus, there was his fantastic interception at Cincinnati. Size, rep-to-rep consistency and splash plays…what more can you ask for from a depth guy who may develop into more?

Adam Slivon: J.J. Russell Is The Most Steady Depth Option In Bucs’ ILB Room

Bucs ILB JJ Russell and Bengals QB Joe Burrow – Photo by: USA Today

Heading into this season, Lavonte David and K.J. Britt will be the Bucs’ top two inside linebackers. Beyond them, though, it has been an open competition to round out the depth chart. 

The team would have liked to see SirVocea Dennis take a big step in his development entering his second season, but he has been injured throughout training camp. It is unfortunate because he was also injured at this time last year which affected how much he was able to contribute as a rookie. Kalen Deloach came into camp with a lot of buzz, but outside of a few big plays in practice, the former Florida State Seminole has not done enough to separate himself through two preseason games and will likely need more time developing in Todd Bowles’ defense. 

That leaves J.J. Russell as someone I would stand on the table for to make the team in 2024. Russell leads the team this preseason with 11 total tackles and whenever he is on the field, he produces. Execution and a lack of MEs (mental errors) is something head coach Todd Bowles places at a premium, and Bowles recently mentioned that the third-year linebacker has a “motor” and is an “intelligent” player on defense.

One could point to Russell admirably filling in against the Panthers in Week 13 last season as a time when he capitalized on a huge opportunity, finishing that game with seven total tackles and a sack. When he is on the active roster, he is also a key cog on special teams. Being a bubble player, he has consistently shown that he can make plays and stay healthy, which is hard to find and even harder to let go. At an inside linebacker position filled with uncertainty, keeping J.J. Russell on the 53-man roster is the right move.