The Bucs’ second preseason game featured plenty of impressive moments. Playing the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium after a competitive practice with them on Thursday, a handful of players rose to the occasion during a close 17-14 win on Saturday night that came down to a last-second 42-yard Chase McLaughlin field goal.

Admittedly, this game column was an instance of playing catch-up after many of the starters performed admirably in limited action. Between the touchdowns and takeaways, this week’s Most Impressive list is lengthy. Here is the full breakdown of who looked good in the second week of preseason action.

QB Teddy Bridgewater

Teddy Bridgewater arrived in Tampa Bay less than two weeks ago, signed as a veteran training camp arm with Michael Pratt out injured before being waived this week. Now, Bridgewater is in the quarterback room, making things interesting for the backup job behind Baker Mayfield.

After retiring from the NFL to be the head coach at Miami Northwestern High School, the league came calling after he made headlines for being suspended for helping his players by paying out of pocket for their rides to school, meals, and other expenses.

Now, Bridgewater is helping the Bucs offense by putting points on the board in the pocket.

Bucs QB Teddy Bridgewater – Photo by: USA Today

Given the chance to play with the offensive starters on Saturday night, he made the most of it by completing 6 of 11 passes for 85 yards, two of which ended up being touchdown throws to running back Bucky Irving and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka. Both were well-placed in tight windows.

Displaying command of the offense in just such a short time, the competition for the top backup quarterback job now gets a little tighter. While Kyle Trask presumably holds the upper hand based on his time in the system, Bridgewater’s experience and track record might force the Bucs to keep three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster.

Bucs WRs

It is not fair to just point out one Bucs wide receiver. Several wideouts looked impressive on Saturday night right from the start. Beginning the game, Jalen McMillan made an amazing catch, leaping and nearly clearing defensive back Daryl Porter in the process. It was one thing that he hung on, but it also made for a scary-looking hit as he came down with the ball. After being down for a moment, he walked off the field and gave a thumbs up heading to the locker room being evaluated for a back injury and a concussion.

Skewing back to the positivity, wide receiver Sterling Shepard looked sharp and surprisingly quick out there. There is a lot of young talent in the room, but the 32-year-old is still spry and had three catches for 47 yards. That included a 27-yard catch-and-run on fourth-and-6 as he took a Teddy Bridgewater pass and found plenty of green grass. It is a competitive position battle, but “Shep” has a chance to make the 53-man roster and will be guaranteed a practice squad spot at least.

Emeka Egbuka, on the other hand, continues to impress.

Are you surprised at this point?

Although he played for just a little while, Egbuka’s lone catch made a big impact. He was another beneficiary of Bridgewater, as after a well-placed throw in the left corner of the endzone, the first-round pick slid to make the grab.

He catches everything, and Bucs fans should get used to seeing him in the end zone for years to come.

CB Kindle Vildor

Among all of the solid showings in the Bucs’ secondary, it was Kindle Vildor who stood out the most. After Zyon McCollum’s interception to open the game, Vildor joined the interception festivities in the second quarter by picking off quarterback Skylar Thompson.

Praised by head coach Todd Bowles for his ability to play a variety of roles in the secondary, the veteran cornerback also showed an ability to make a play on a football heading his direction. Vildor then made another play as Thompson launched a pass deep in the third quarter, but it was broken up by the cornerback. He was all over the place, finishing the game with four tackles. The depth chart at the position is not talked about enough, but it will be interesting to see how things shake out.

Vildor, Josh Hayes, Bryce Hall, and a slew of former undrafted players like Tyrek Funderburk, Roman Parodie, and JayVian Farr are fighting for one or two spots. A key difference-maker will be play how they separate themselves in a game setting, but it would be shocking if he did not make the 53-man roster at this point based on his performance.

CB Jacob Parrish

While the Bucs have not seen cornerback Benjamin Morrison at all this preseason, they have to like what they see from cornerback Jacob Parrish. Parrish has unteachable speed, but it is his physicality in coverage and as a tackler that turned heads.

The 5-foot-9, 192-pound cornerback first had a sticky coverage play on a pass intended for Roman Wilson across the middle. Parrish then stuffed power back Kaleb Johnson in the backfield for a TFL. He finished the game with three total tackles and looks the part of someone who will immediately play an important role on the Bucs defense this season.

RB Bucky Irving

Mike Evans or Bucky Irving?

Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: USA Today

Irving did his best Evans impression in the first quarter, hauling in a 15-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Teddy Bridgewater on a fade route over Steelers inside linebacker Payton Wilson along the right side of the end zone. It was a great throw by Bridgewater, but just as impressive to see the Bucs’ top running back catch it.

Something to note here is that Irving did not catch a touchdown last season. While he caught 47 of his 52 targets, that efficiency did not translate to touchdowns through the air. Perhaps that will be something offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard looks to make happen more often this season to maximize his playmaking abilities.

Bucs ILBs

Last week, it was inside linebacker Nick Jackson who impressed. Jackson recorded his second sack of the preseason with another quarterback takedown in Pittsburgh and had three tackles. It was John Bullock’s turn to look just as impressive in this one. The former Nebraska Cornhusker had back-to-back tackles in the third quarter on Kaleb Johnson and then took down Skylar Thompson for a sack of his own to force the stop on that drive.

The undrafted free agents weren’t the only ones who shined. Mistakenly omitted in our Pittsburgh coverage was the fact that Antoinio Grier Jr. had some great pass coverage reps, especially when the Steelers’ offense was running their red zone offense.

Grier showcased his acumen reading quarterbacks by coming away with an interception in the fourth quarter. His interception and subsequent return was a close call at the end as he fumbled and the ball went out of bounds. It would go on to set up the game-winning field goal for the Bucs as time expired.

Bullock and Jackson were the only young linebackers brought into the mix this offseason after the team decided not to draft anyone at the position. Putting trust into them has looked to be another shrewd decision, as each have looked the part of being NFL players. It is a veteran room at the top, but between those two and Grier, it would not be surprising to see one, two, or all three of them play a role this season.

CB Zyon McCollum

On just the second offensive play for the Steelers, quarterback Mason Rudolph dropped back to throw, looking to find wide receiver Roman Wilson. Instead, he found cornerback Zyon McCollum, who made a nice cut on the football over the middle and came down with the interception.

It was great to see McCollum make a big play, as he had yet to pick off a pass during training camp. Being entrusted as Tampa Bay’s top cornerback comes with needing to be more of a ballhawk this season. Looking to have a big year as he plays for a big contract, he did so quickly in his first action of the preseason.

OLB Chris Braswell

After disappointing during the preseason opener against the Titans, Chris Braswell looked much better in the Steel City. Braswell recorded a sack in the second quarter to force a three-and-out. Even in the reps where he did not bring the quarterback, the second-year pass rusher displayed better pass-rush moves and an ability to close the pocket.

The tape he puts together during the preseason will dictate his rotational role early in the season. The team surely hopes for more showings like Saturday night that feature more ups than downs.

DB Christian Izien

Christian Izien is the do-it-all, Swiss-army knife of the Bucs’ secondary. While Izien will not be a starter barring injury, what he will be is a super-sub. The versatile defensive back makes things happen when he is on the field, with his performance against the Steelers being the latest feather in his cap to support that statement.

Physical for his size, he teamed up with Chris Braswell on his third-down sack, nearly bringing down the quarterback himself being sent in on a blitz. Izien also blew up a screen pass, reading it perfectly as the ball fell to the ground incomplete.

It will be worth keeping an eye on him going forward after he left the game with an oblique injury. The team cannot afford to lose any more defensive backs, especially after the unfortunate news that defensive back J.J. Roberts is out for the year after being placed on injured reserve with a knee injury.

QB Connor Bazelak

After putting Teddy Bridgewater on here to lead this column, Connor Bazelak deserves a mention. No, Bazelak did not throw a touchdown. One might look at his 5.9 yards per attempt and say, ‘Meh.’ Still, I thought the undrafted free agent signal-caller from Bowling Green displayed solid command of the offense and timing with his throws.

He ended up being the leading passer of the three quarterbacks who suited up, completing 13 of his 17 (77.7%) passes for 106 yards. He did not make any mistakes and looks to be a quality practice squad arm to keep around, especially if the team opts to keep three on the 53-man roster.

P Riley Dixon

Having a veteran punter in Riley Dixon is a “breath of fresh air” for Todd Bowles this year. After going through three punters last season, Bowles no longer has to worry about having a quality option back there. Dixon looked good at Acrisure Stadium, averaging 50.4 yards per boot on his eight punts.