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

Scott Reynolds: ILB Caden Fordham Needs To Make Bucs’ 53-Man Roster

The Bucs inside linebacker position has gone through a whirlwind of change this year. Legend Lavonte David retired this offseason and last year’s starting middle linebacker, SirVocea Dennis, has been relegated to backup status this year with the arrival of second-round pick Josiah Trotter. Veteran reserves Deion Jones and Anthony Walker Jr. are gone with Trotter, Alex Anzalone and Christian Rozeboom arriving as replacements. Anzalone replaces David at Mo ‘backer and Trotter will soon supplant Dennis as the starter at Mike.

Bucs ILB Caden Fordham – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs typically keep four inside ‘backers – two starters and two reserves. Although last year the team kept five with undrafted free agent John Bullock sticking on the 53-man roster due to his special teams ability. Bullock is back this year competing with practice squad holdover Nick Jackson and two newcomers in undrafted free agents Caden Fordham and Javin Wright. Fordham has caught my eye in the preseason with his instincts and hard-hitting ability. He had six tackles, including five solo, versus Kansas City, in addition to a special teams tackle.

Fordham leads all linebackers with nine stops, which ranks third on defense through two preseason games. I think he’s had a slightly better preseason than Bullock, and with Dennis entering a contract year, Rozeboom only signing a one-year deal and the 31-year old Anzalone on a two-year contract, it makes sense to keep a young, aggressive, playmaking linebacker in the hopper for depth and continuity in the years to come. The Bucs believed Bullock could be that player, but I like Fordham’s game slightly better.

Whether it’s keeping four linebackers and swapping Fordham for Dennis or finding a way to keep five inside ‘backers, I’ll stand on the table for Fordham to make the 53.

Matt Matera: Josh Williams Has Chance To Be RB3

Because there’s a possibility that the Bucs will keep three quarterbacks on the active roster, it makes it less likely that Tampa Bay would keep four running backs when playing the numbers game. That leaves a competition between Sean Tucker and Josh Williams for the spot.

Bucs RB Josh Williams – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Bucs fans already know about Tucker, so this focus will be on Williams. Heading into year two, Williams has really stepped his game up at running back. The former LSU product does a fantastic job of hitting the hole quickly and following his lead blocker, running right off of his hip. He’s not the easiest to take down either, making him a suitable player for the Bucs’ offense.

Williams has stood out in the two preseason games. He had 12-yard touchdown run in the first game against the Jets, then put his receiving prowess on display, recording 24 yards on two catches. Adding in his return ability, plus making a special teams tackle last game, Williams provides an inexpensive option for Tampa Bay while earning the role, too. Tucker will make $3.5 million if he’s on the roster to begin the season. If Williams has another good performance this week, the Bucs may think twice about it.

Adam Slivon: Rashad Wisdom’s Preseason Play Warrants A Roster Spot

The Bucs’ safety room is solidified with two high-end starters in Antoine Winfield Jr. and Tykee Smith. In addition, Miles Killebrew will make the team for his special teams background, leaving one spot up for grabs between Rashad Wisdom, Ifeatu Melifonwu, and JJ Roberts. All three are worthy contenders, but it is Wisdom who has quietly caught my eye across Tampa Bay’s first two preseason games.

Bucs S Rashad Wisdom – Photo by: IMAGN Images

In the first game against the Jets, Wisdom had five tackles, a pass defense, and came away with an interception. Facing the Chiefs on Saturday night, he had a team-leading nine tackles as he has shown his ability to make an impact defensively. What works in his favor is his familiarity within head coach Todd Bowles’ defense, along with contributing on special teams. He has hung around since signing as an undrafted free agent back in April 2024, parlaying his efforts into a spot on the practice squad.

Now, it is time for him to take the next step and be ready to play at a moment’s notice.

“I think the whole approach for me is always ‘Stay ready, so you don’t have to get ready,'” Wisdom said. “I feel like a guy like me, I’m plug-and-play, you know, I can fit in wherever it’s needed – whether that is anywhere in the secondary, special teams-wise, I mean, I can do all four phases. So, that’s pretty much the biggest thing – just staying healthy, staying in shape, and being ready when my number is called.”

Bowles has experimented with adding bigger safeties to the secondary, signing Melifonwu, Xavier Williams, and Robert McDaniel since the start of training camp. Even with those players bringing more height and experience, Wisdom has been the best backup of the bunch in the preseason and checks the boxes for playing special teams and providing production in a pinch.

Bailey Adams: Ko Kieft Is A Must-Keep For The Bucs As TE4

As much as Cade Otton, Payne Durham and Bauer Sharp are locks at tight end and as much of a ripple effect as keeping three quarterbacks is going to have on the numbers game when finalizing the 53-man roster, it can’t be the TE4 role that takes on the brunt of it. Because Ko Kieft has to make this team.

Bucs TE Ko Kieft – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

Kieft just always seems to stick around, and because he doesn’t do anything flashy, he can sometimes feel like nothing more than an extra guy on the Bucs’ roster. That might have some feeling like he’s expendable, and when it comes to finding an odd man out, a lot of fingers might point to Kieft. I’ve seen some of that already.

But you don’t truly know what you have until it’s gone, and Tampa Bay really learned that when Kieft went down and was limited to three games in 2025. The Bucs badly missed him, especially in the run game. This is a guy who sticks his face in there and does the dirty work both as a blocker on offense and on special teams. That’s what he does. He knows his role, and he does it well.

You don’t keep Ko Kieft on the roster for his receiving ability, though you’ll certainly take the odd touchdown he gives you (like he did Saturday night against the Chiefs). You keep Kieft around because of the work he can do for your run game and the value he provides on special teams. That’s not flashy, but the fundamentals don’t have to be. And you need a fundamentally sound role player like No. 41 — a guy you can depend on to do the dirty work.

Josh Queipo: Ifeatu Melifonwu Has To Be A Keeper At Safety

The bulk of the Bucs’ defensive injuries over the past several seasons have been felt in the secondary. And just as much as Tampa Bay’s depth has been tested at cornerback, at times the safety position has been hit harder. In the not-so-distant past the team was turning back to former starter Mike Edwards after he team-hopped for a couple of seasons.

I was excited at the prospect of the team’s depth at safety this year because I was extremely impressed with 2025 undrafted free agent J.J. Roberts’ college tape plus the glimpses he showed in the preseason last year. But Roberts has struggled to return from a torn ACL suffered before the start of the regular season last year. He just began practicing last week and was not ready to suit up for the Bucs’ game against Kansas City on Saturday.

Bucs S Ifeatu Melifonwu – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Seeing the writing on that particular wall, the Bucs made Ifeatu Melfionwu a late edition to the team just a few weeks ago. And I have been pleasantly surprised with his quick acclimation and performance through two preseason games now.

He has been targeted four times so far in preseason action, according to Pro Football Focus, allowing just one catch for seven yards. One of those targets resulted in a forced incompletion in the end zone last week, that kept KC from scoring a touchdown in what would end up a one-point win for the Bucs. Melifonwu is an experienced safety (1,423 career regular season snaps plus another 179 in the postseason) with good size (6-foot-3, 210 pounds) and a solid command of the defense already. Matched with a rather young secondary, he provides a capable veteran presence in a room sorely lacking depth.

Nick Geddes: Kameron Johnson Is The Best Kick/Punt Returner On The Bucs

The Buccaneers are expected to keep six wide receivers on the 53-man roster. Five spots are guaranteed, and those belong to Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan, Ted Hurst, and Tez Johnson. The sixth spot is very much up for grabs, but I’d argue that shouldn’t be the case. Kameron Johnson *should* make this football team, though not exactly for his capabilities as a pass catcher. Johnson might contribute in spots on an offense that has many mouths to feed — he did record four receptions for 56 yards in this past Saturday’s preseason win over the Kansas City Chiefs — but his real value lies on special teams.

Somebody on this team has to return kicks and punts, and I’m willing to bet nobody on the Buccaneer roster can do it better than the third-year man out of Barton College. We saw that firsthand against Kansas City when Johnson had an impressive 23-yard punt return down the right sideline, while also bringing out a kick return to the Buccaneers’ 30-yard line later in the game.

Bucs WR-PR Kameron Johnson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Johnson handled the bulk of the kick/punt return duties in 2025. Johnson averaged 11.2 yards per punt return, 11th in the NFL among punt returners with 20 returns or more. Additionally, Johnson averaged 25.4 yards per kick return, a number he certainly can improve on. The Buccaneers do have other options in the return game — Tez Johnson and Josh Williams to name a couple — but it’s Kameron Johnson, in my opinion, who brings the highest ceiling in that particular area.

Johnson is likely battling David Sills V and Dean Patterson IV for the sixth spot on the depth chart. Sills, a seven-year veteran, has going for him that he played under new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson last year with the Atlanta Falcons. Sills does bring value in the kick/punt coverage game, and he shined there against the Chiefs. Patterson has impressed as an undrafted rookie out of Georgia Tech, and led the team in receiving last Saturday.

Neither of those guys, however, are candidates to be a returner, giving Johnson the edge he needs to make the Buccaneers’ 53-man roster.